A Dragon Rider's Heart
by YuriYaoiHet Ilove'emall
Summary: Heather and Astrid are the best of friends. What happens when, during a period of forced confinement, Astrid starts to realize that maybe her feelings aren't quite as 'friendly' as she once thought? Rated M for a reason! WARNING! Main pairing is Female/Female! Don't like, don't read!
1. Chapter 1

A Dragon Rider's Heart

Chapter One

A/N: So. I've taken a few liberties with HTTYD. It's still mostly canon, besides the pairings (obviously) but I did change a few small things. Also expect some OOCness. Fair warning.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Astrid sighed as she looked up into the stars. Her breath puffed out in front of her in a cloud of steam. She shivered and pulled her jacket tighter around her. She was feeling quite lonely, having sent Stormfly back to the warmer part of the Edge to spend the night. Her dragon would have stayed with her on her watch, but she always felt that it was best to let her stay in less harsh climates unless necessary for a mission. She liked for Stormfly to always be in peak condition and vigorously watched her health. She also liked to keep herself in top condition as well as a show of respect for her dragon and her own wellbeing.

The sky was clear and the moon was bright. Nothing stirred but herself and the waves distantly below her. She'd decided against a fire, knowing that it would be seen further out than the tower itself and it would also ruin her night vision. Well. Maybe some light exercise would keep her warm. Halfway through a set of sit-ups, she heard a strange sound in the night. Listening closely, she could hear the sound of metal scraping metal and smiled happily. Heather had come to visit!

She quickly stood and walked out into the moonlight. She waved at the nondescript shadow above her and saw the dragon rider change direction. Windshear landed in the snow just as Astrid reached the ground. Heather slipped off the Razorwhip's back and the two riders embraced warmly.

"Heather!" Astrid laughed as she pulled back. "It's been so long since we've seen you."

Heather smiled. "Too long." Then she looked around, noticing something. "Where's Stormfly?"

"I sent her back to the warmer part of the Edge. I volunteered myself for watch tonight, but I didn't want her to catch a chill. She'll be here in the morning to get me."

"Good idea. Maybe I should stay here with you tonight and Windshear could keep her company."

Astrid shook her head as they fully separated. "No. You don't have to do that. Hiccup will be happy you're here. You can sleep in my hut."

Heather rose an eyebrow. "Trying to get rid of me already?" She teased with a smirk.

Astrid chuckled. "Alright, but don't say I didn't offer when you can't feel your toes in the morning."

"I'll remember that." They both turned to her dragon. "Alright, Windshear. Go find Stormfly and keep her company tonight. I'll stay here with Astrid and you two can come get us in the morning." Windshear crooned softly and, after receiving pats from both girls, sprang into the air. Her rapid departure sent snow flying over both of them and they giggled.

Astrid couldn't stop grinning as they watched Windshear disappear in the distance. She and Heather had gotten off to a bad start and they'd hit a few rocky patches in their friendship, it was true, but even after all that she felt closer to Heather than anyone else besides maybe Hiccup and their dragons. And Heather hadn't lost that intense edge she'd developed over the years. Astrid loved the new side of her and Heather knew it.

"So. Care for a little sparring?" The ebony haired girl asked with a smirk.

Astrid smirked back and pulled her axe free. "Thought you'd never ask."

With a yell, Heather pulled her own axe free and leapt at the blonde. Astrid dodged and swung at her as she passed. Heather turned suddenly, hitting the switch to extend her double headed weapon and blocked it easily. Astrid pulled free her second axe and Heather blocked it with a well done twist of her arm. Both girls grinned wickedly. The match was on.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Sometime later they lay in the snow, close together and panting. They'd fought themselves to a draw and were both pleased with the outcome.

"You've been practicing." Heather said after she'd caught her breath.

Astrid let her head roll to the side." So have you. "

The both smiled. "So. What have you guys been up to since last time?" Heather asked lightly, sitting up.

Astrid looked back up at the stars. "Not much actually. There hasn't been much movement and, aside from checking in on Berk and taking care of the random dragon problem and training, it's actually been kind've dull around here. What about you? Any news?"

Heather clenched her fist, "No. It's been really quiet everywhere. No sign of the hunters or my brother. And that's what worries me."

Astrid sat up and moved close enough to put a hand on Heathers clenched fist. "Hey. It's gonna work out. We'll find them, Heather. I promise."

Heather sighed and tried to relax. "I know, I know, but I still don't like just not knowing. They could be anywhere and we have no idea what they're planning. All we know for sure is that Viggo has the eye and will be back one day. And that my brother will most likely be with him."

"And we'll be ready when that day comes. All of us have been training, even the twins. Fishlegs has been working hard with Gobber to make more weapons and armor with the Gronckle iron. Gustav has pushing the A-team harder than ever. We're even thinking of making a second Auxiliary team. Hiccup barely sleeps anymore. Toothless has had to start threatening to eat the research to get him to rest." She added with a soft laugh.

Heather could help but to laugh as well. "I can so see that." Then she sighed again. "Sorry, for grumbling to you."

Astrid nudged her shoulder. "That's what friends are for."

Heather relaxed her fist and linked their fingers together, giving them a small squeeze. "Best friends."

"You know it."

They shared a smile and Heather leaned sideways to lay her head on Astrid's shoulder. Astrid wrapped her free arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. They sat there for a while, simply enjoying the quiet and watching the stars, taking in the thickening clouds that were slowly obscuring their view, without really realizing what they meant.

A sudden, brisk wind made them both shiver. Heather pulled away and Astrid stood quickly. "Ok. I think it's time to get back inside the tower." She held out a hand to help Heather up and the two of them quickly climbed up. Astrid was grateful for the insulating properties they'd added to the insides when they'd extended the tower. While it was by no means warm, it was well above freezing and very welcome to their chilled skin. She closed the wide doors and Heather helped her pull the shutters closed on all but the large sea facing window so Astrid could still keep watch as the wind grew stronger. They both watched as the clouds thickened and the sea started roiling. Lighting flashed on the horizon. Small flurries stared flying and Astrid realized that a large storm was well on its way as it began to rain.

Knowing no one would be foolish enough to sail in such a storm, she closed the shutters and turned to Heather. "I'm kind've wishing we'd kept Stormfly and Windshear here now. There's no way they can fly in this."

"Well, hopefully it'll blow over soon. In the meantime, let's make the most of it." She said happily and moved to the small fireplace and began preparing a fire.

Astrid shook her head with a grin. Heather was hard to discourage when she was in a good mood. She watched her friend for a moment before turning to the storage area. If they were going to make a fire anyway, they might as well eat. She knew she was starving and had no idea when the last time Heather had eaten so she went past hanging cloth in the back and pulled out several hunks of pre-prepared, half-cooked boar meat from the less insulated area which kept the more perishable of their goods near frozen. On her way back out, she grabbed a few potatoes and carrots and heaped them on the meat in her arms and a small pitcher of mead. Then she thought better of it and grabbed a larger one. Heather could outdrink many a Viking she knew.

When she entered the main room again, Heather was placing a large log on the now roaring fire. Looking up and seeing the large heap of food the other girl was carrying she smiled and grabbed a pot and a few knives from the small kitchen area. Astrid dumped everything on the table and they set about chopping up the meat and vegetables into a stew. Heather went to get a small handful of salt from the storage area while Astrid collected water from one of the toughs near the entrance that contained fresh water and filled the pot. They set it to boiling and Astrid gathered two mugs and poured them both a large helping of mead. Heather grinned at her and they tapped cups, before tossing back their heads and taking a few long swallows.

And then they both had to fight not to spit out what was in their mouths. Astrid tearfully swallowed and stared at her cup in shock. "Gods, that was harsh!"

Heather managed to cough and laugh at the same time. "You're telling me! This stuff could put hair on a Gronckle!" Both of them laughed at the absurd statement. "Well. Waste not, want not." She chimed and took another drink. "Hmm. Not as bad when you're expecting it."

Astrid grimaced but did the same, never one to back down from a challenge. She found Heather was right and that it was still sweet under the harsh bite of liquor. By the time the pitcher was half gone, their stew was smelling delicious and Astrid was more than a little light headed. She got two wooden bowls and spoons and blushed when her stomach growled loudly as Heather ladled them out a portion. Heather smiled and simply added more to the bowls.

"Thanks." Astrid muttered and blushed harder when Heather giggled at her grumpy tone.

The stew tasted delicious and the mead, having now grown on her taste buds was a wonderful way to wash it down. Full and content, both girls sighed as they patted their tummies. Their eyes met. Heather snorted in amusement, causing Astrid to snort from trying to contain her laugher which set them both off to laughing like children.

One of the shutters suddenly banged open and snow and rain poured inside with the strong force of the wind. Both of them rushed to close it, having almost forgotten the storm raging outside. Astrid was surprised at just how bad it had gotten. This was shaping up to be a very, very harsh storm. At least it was daytime now, though you could hardly tell.

"Will you help me raise the signal flag to let the others know we're fine? I know Hiccup will be out of his mind unless we do."

"Of course."

Astrid led her up a narrow staircase in the island facing side of the tower. She had to strain to open the trap door, but once it was up, it snapped open with such force it nearly ripped her hand off. Freezing rain and ice immediately drenched them as they struggled out into the wind. They had to cling to one another to stay upright as they made their way to a wench attached to a stout chain. Grasping the handle, they slowly turned it and a retractable metal pole began to rise. They kept going until it was fully extended at twenty feet and Astrid freed one of the release cords and pulled it. A counterweight dropped and a green flag rose quickly to the summit along one of several grooves. They quickly checked the supports around the pole and securely fastened the wench in place with and extra lock and dashed back into the safety of the tower. It took both of them straining at their utmost to close the hatch against the wind and both of them collapsed, shivering, when the latch was in place.

When Astrid caught her breath she sighed. "Definitely have to install some windbreaks up there." She muttered and pulled Heather to her feet. "But now at least no one will get hurt trying to come after us. Hopefully, they have Windshear and Stormfly contained so those two won't try to come either."

"They're probably freaking out." Heather said worriedly.

Astrid felt her heart pang at the thought of her loyal dragon driving herself mad with worry. She quickly shook off the thought. Hiccup and the others would keep them safe and calm. "We'll make it up to them after the storm." She reassured her. "C'mon. We need to get out of these clothes. All of us keep spares here. You can wear a set of mine."

Heather smiled tiredly at her. "Thanks."

They made their way downstairs and changed, leaving their hair down to dry. Neither of them could brush off the feeling of worry about their dragons and were quiet and lost in their individual thoughts. They silently cleaned up their mess, figuring moving was better than just sitting around. Shortly, Astrid heard the unmistakable sound of one of Toothless' plasma blasts over the howling wind and both of them rushed up the stairs to open the highest island facing window beneath the trapdoor. Astrid pulled out her spyglass and peered through it fearing the worst. She could just barely make out the top of the main watchtower though the rain and lashing trees. As she watched, Toothless sent up another blast and the green flag went up.

She sighed with relief that everything was ok. She turned back to see Heather's worried expression. "It's ok. Everything's fine. Hiccup was just letting us know he'd seen our signal and he put up the green flag. If anything was wrong he'd have signaled with another."

Heather sagged in relief. "Thank the Gods. I thought something had happened."

Astrid put a hand to her shoulder. "Me too, but it's ok." She pulled her into a swift hug and Heather squeezed her back for a moment before they pulled away. "C'mon. Let's get some sleep. Hopefully, the storm will pass while we rest."

Heather looked down and blushed lightly. "Can we share a bed? I kind've don't want to be alone right now." She whispered.

Astrid smiled softly. "I was going to ask you the same thing."

"Don't tell the others though." They both mock threatened at the same time.  
They laughed and Astrid collected a torch and lit it on the fire before banking it, while Heather collected their night clothes from their packs. They went down a short set of stairs into the small sleeping area. There were a number of small cots there and a few larger ones for when Stoick or some of the other larger Vikings paid a visit to the tower. It was stocked with plenty of blankets and pillows, as well as bandages and other medicinal supplies in case anyone was injured. She and Hiccup had gone through a lot of trouble over the months to make sure every watchtower was similarly extended and equipped, but this was the best stocked, being the furthest from the compound.

She and Heather stripped down and pulled on their simple night shirts and crawled into one of the larger beds. Not even thinking about it, Astrid turned on her side and pulled Heather close to her. The ebony haired rider sighed happily and snuggled into her, pillowing her head on Astrid's shoulder and draping and arm over the blonde's stomach to hold her close. They'd slept like this many times. Though neither of them would admit it, they secretly craved the closeness and could only let their guard down enough to indulge in this cuddling with each other. Astrid linked their fingers together and softly stroked Heather's hair with her other hand. It wasn't long before they both drifted to sleep.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

And there's the first chapter. Let me know what you thought! 


	2. Chapter 2

A Dragon Rider's Heart

Chapter Two

A/N: I seem to have opened a can of worms with this pairing. Whoops. Still. I have no plans to change it as this is more a story about their friendship than the actual pairing.

Don't like? Don't read. Cause you REALLY aren't going to like the next bombshell!

NOTE: I shall no longer be allowing hateful reviews to be posted and shall remove all that are inappropriate or that contain profanity unless they are from people who have signed into their accounts. If you are going to flame, please at least make an account and do it properly! Have a nice day! :D

Anyway, for those of you who DO like it, read on! I'm posting this early just because.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Astrid woke to total darkness. She was slightly disoriented for a moment, before Heather's scent and soft breaths reminded her where she was. She relaxed and just stayed lying there for a few moments, before gently untangling herself from the sleeping rider. She gingerly made her way to the stairs and went up them. Her first order of business was the chamber pot and, though she could still hear the storm raging, she opened one of the shutters anyway to see if it had lessened any. It was still daylight, she could tell, probably late afternoon, though she had no accurate way of judging. If anything the storm was worse and the wind was fiercer. The ocean was white with sea foam and the snow whirled dangerously. They wouldn't be leaving today.

At any rate, they had enough supplies to last more than a week so her only worry was her dragon. She hoped that the others could keep Stormfly and Windshear secured. She hated to think of her dragon trying to fly in this. Deciding not to dwell on it, she pulled on a fresh suit of clothes and started a fire. As she was doing so, she thought about possibly heating enough water for her and Heather to bathe after eating. The stew could be reheated for their meal and there was plenty of mead left. Yes. That was what she would do.

She got a few large cauldrons from the kitchen area and, using a clever set of pipes that Hiccup, Fishlegs and Gobber had worked up, filled them with some water from the large reservoir outside. Since it was so open, she didn't really trust it for drinking or cooking, but for bathing it was just fine. She lit the fireplace again and arranged the cauldrons near enough to heat the water to a comfortable temperature. She felt another pang from missing her dragon as she thought about Stormfly being able to heat it in seconds. Her dragon loved showing off for her and enjoyed doing those tiny things for her and she herself enjoyed spending time with the Nadder. She hoped that Hiccup would remember her liking for chicken and feed her some. Maybe it would perk her up.

Then she realized that she probably shouldn't put so much reliance on Hiccup to dote on her dragon. The young Dragonmaster had enough on his plate as it was and was probably still worried sick about her and Heather even though they'd flown the all clear flag. She then wondered how Windshear was getting on. She knew that the Razorwhip rarely was away from Heather for more than a few hours at a time now that they were free again. She was probably even more worried than Stormfly and just as deadly when provoked. She couldn't stop an evil snicker at the thought of Snotlout trying to deal with two very deadly dragons along with his own. Hookfang would probably be just as amused as she was. The Nightmare had a well-known love-hate relationship with her rider. It didn't help matters at all that Snotlout was convinced she was male. She shook her head remembering that conversation.

"What are you snickering about up here by yourself?" Heather asked in amused tone from the top of the stairs.

"Bout time you woke up. And I was thinking about Snotlout being maimed by our dragons."

Heather laughed. "Definitely the only good thing that can come out of us being separated from them." She glanced at the wiggling shutters. "So I'm guessing it's still rough out there?" She asked as she dressed in another set of Astrid's spare clothes.

Astrid nodded. "If anything, it's worse. We may be here a day or two."

Heather looked disappointed for a moment, before perking up. "Well at least I'm stuck with you."

Astrid grinned. "Right? I'd die if I'd been trapped here with just about anyone else. Want me to heat up the stew?"

Heather shook her head. "No. I'm not hungry yet. I could use a glass of mead though. Want one?" She asked over her shoulder as she went to get a cup.

"Sure. I've got water heating for a bath later." Astrid stood from where she was crouched near the fire and went to sit at the table again.

Heather poured them both a glass and they tapped cups again, both grinning as they remembered doing the same thing last night, before tossing back a few gulps of the sweet alcohol. Astrid found she was actually growing to like this batch more than the milder, sweeter variety. She was definitely going to find out who made it and request more for both here and the compound.

The two riders made short work of the rest of it and managed to find a small barrel containing more. They started in on it, reminiscing and laughing at the misadventures of themselves, their friends and their enemies. After a particularly hilarious story about Dagur somehow managing to attract the undivided attention of a particularly vindictive and mischievous Terrible Terror and being unable to kill it, Astrid had to wipe tears from her eyes.

"So how did he finally manage to get rid of it?"

Heather tried to compose herself enough to finish. "I convinced him to wear and eel like a necklace while Windshear and I relocated the little guy somewhere else. The smell got so bad no one would stand near him for nearly a week, but he refused to take it off, convinced that tiny dragon was hiding just out of sight waiting for the time to strike. He was definitely living up to his title of deranged!" She finished with another laughing fit.

Astrid howled with laugher and slapped the table so hard she nearly knocked the drinks over. When she finally was able to breathe again, she managed to take a gulp of her drink to sooth her throat between giggles. Heather was in a similar state. Neither of them could remember laughing so much in a very long time.

Heather let out a heavy sigh. "Gods, I wish we could just stay like this. If Windshear and Stormfly were here, I'd be content to stay trapped in this tower forever."

Astrid hummed in agreement. "It is nice. Though I wouldn't mind not being trapped by the storm. I could go for another spar right around now." She lifted her chin in a taunting manner.

Heather arched an eyebrow. "Who says we can't spar? I could use some hand to hand practice." She finished the contents of her cup and stood, though she wobbled slightly as she did so. "Whoa." She sat back down. "Maybe in the morning. This stuff is wicked strong."

Astrid laughed at the look on her face. "Well. If we can't spar, then how about another contest."

Heather smirked. "I'm game. What kind've contest?"

Astrid unstopped the barrel and refilled their cups. "Whoever passes out first, loses."

Heather was intrigued. "Let's make it more interesting."

"I'm listening."

Heather carefully stood and went to her pack, from which she pulled out a set of throwing knives. Without warning, she threw on into a support post, where it stuck. "Every time you miss, you have to drink a full cup."

Astrid grinned wickedly. "You're on."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

A few hours later, they had to settle it as a draw. Neither of them could accurately hit the post anymore and had tired of retrieving the knives from the far wall. Heather slumped onto a cushioned bench near the fire and Astrid joined her. She lay down, propping her feet on the far arm and put her head in Heather's lap. Heather giggled at her flushed face and tickled her nose. Astrid grasped her hand and bit it lightly in admonition. Heather gasped and swatted her lightly. Astrid responded by tickling her and the two of them were soon in an earnest tickle fight that only ended when both of them fell off the bench and hit the floor hard. They lay there laughing for a few minutes, before sighing in contentment. They stayed as they were, tangled together. Here, alone with each other, they felt oddly free. Both of them had taken to hiding their emotions and acting tough for so long, it felt nice to just be themselves.

"You're my best friend, Heather." Astrid whispered after a moment of silence.

Heather smiled and snuggled into her fellow rider more comfortably. "And you're mine."

Astrid lay there and played with Heather's soft, dark hair. She'd always loved it, and had secretly very much enjoyed the way she looked when she'd dyed it to match that day so long ago when she'd gone undercover to get the Book of Dragons back from Alvin and the Outcasts. Had it really been four years ago?

She looked down into Heather's contented face and felt herself flooding with emotions. She'd utterly hated her at first, then had grown to like her, only to be seemingly betrayed by her again and then find out it was ploy in their favor. She'd secretly met with her, plotting behind the back of Hiccup, the one she thought she trusted more than anything. If anyone else had asked it of her, she wouldn't have been able to do it. Heather had put a fire inside her, when she'd come back a literal badass after all those years and had stoked it higher with every visit. She had grown, faster, smarter and stronger since Heather had come back into her life. It was wonderful. She'd never had a close female friend before her. Hiccup was wonderful, and he was a fantastic friend, but he wasn't a girl so she couldn't be close to him in the same way.

Heather seemed to feel her gaze and blinked her eyes open. "Astrid?"

Astrid blinked and looked away. "It's nothing. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

Astrid looked back at her and grinned. "About how much I hated you when we first met. You had all the boys wrapped around your finger and even managed to steal Stormfly's heart. Gods, I wanted to pommel you."

Heather chuckled. "I hated you too. I even had to flirt with Snotlout to get what I wanted and yet, there you were, ruining everything and keeping me from being able to save my parents. Still not as bad as me having to flirt with Snotlout, but still."

Astrid laughed. "I always thought you had to be tough to have managed not to lose your lunch pulling that one off. It still makes me laugh that he genuinely thinks he had a chance with you. Still does for that matter. And me."

Both of them pretended to be sick and giggled. "I should just tell him I'm interested in Fishlegs. Maybe that will get him off my back."

Astrid snorted. "I still can't believe you said you were interested in Fishlegs that day in the woods."

Heather swatted her. "I didn't say I was interested. I just said he was cute. Especially when compared to Tuffnut and Snotlout."

Astrid conceded that point. "Still."

"Speaking of that conversation, is the thing with you and Hiccup official yet or are you both still being mutton heads about it?"

Astrid growled in frustration. "How many times do I have to say `just friends'? Hiccup and I are just friends. I have no romantic interest in Hiccup. If he fantastic? Yes. Is he cute? In his own nerdy way, yes. Do I want to date him? No."

Heather simply smiled and waited out the rant. "It really amuses me how defensive you get about it."

Astrid growled again. "Yeah, well you're not the only one who thinks it and so I'm a little sore on the subject." She grumbled.

Heather chuckled. "Well I only say it `cause you get all cute when you're mad."

Astrid glared at her. "Just you wait `til I can hold an axe again. I'll show you cute." She half threatened, half joked.

Heather opened her mouth to respond when Astrid's stomach growled. Instead she laughed. "You're worse than a man when it comes to eating!"

Astrid said nothing, looking pointedly away to try and hide her blush, which only made Heather laugh harder. She kissed the embarrassed blonde's cheek and got up to move the stew to the fire. Astrid simply watched her, figuring that if her friend was going to tease her then the dark haired nymph could do it herself. She grinned when she realized she'd just womanized another woman and got up to help. The blonde rider moved the cauldrons of water closer to the fire and checked the storm. The only change was that it had grown colder as the sun set, rain turning back into ice. They sat at the table again and, against her better judgment, Astrid poured them another drink.

Heather beamed and took a few gulps. Astrid did the same. After a few minutes, her head, which had finally begun to clear, was fuzzy again. "You realize we've been drinking almost nonstop since we woke up right?" She asked.

Heather assumed her most serious expression. "Tis the life of a Viking, lass, to eat his fill and drink in merry, `til the bloodlust of battle calls him to the field once more! Valhalla awaits!" She yelled in a very poor imitation of Stoick.

They both burst out laughing and clunked their cups together. "Valhalla!" They toasted and drained them.

They refilled their cups and Astrid had a funny idea. She held out her cup and said, "For the storm that keeps us here! To Thor!" She yelled the last.

Heather tapped the outstretch cup with her own. "To Thor!" And they drank.

Then Heather held out her cup to Astrid. "To Johann who prompted my visit!"

Astrid grinned and tapped their cups. "To Johann!"

They continued like this for some minutes, their toasts growing more and more ludicrous until they toasted Gobber's hook for its lovely hook shape and couldn't drink for laughing so hard. "Oh, gods, you're killing me!" Heather managed to gasp.

This prompted Astrid to hold up her cup and yell, "To Valhalla!" Which set them both off again.

By this point the stew was smelling lovely again and Astrid got up and stumbled over to bring it to the table. Heather, meanwhile got them bowls and spoons and they both set about stuffing themselves silly. Both of them sighed as they finished it off.

"Ah, that hit the spot." Astrid murmured happily.

"It could have been a shoe and you'd thought the same thing."

Astrid stuck out her tongue and blew her a raspberry. Heathers eyes went wide at the display and immediately contorted her face, crossed one eye and stuck out her tongue as well. "Oh yeah. That's a great look for you right there. You'll have Snotlout drooling in no time." Astrid said dryly.

Heather gagged and glared at her. "Ew. Now I wish I hadn't eaten." She shuddered.

Astrid laughed. "He's not that bad."

Heather rolled her eyes. "Ew."

The blonde rider held up her hands in a placating gesture. "Ok. OK. Maybe he is that bad."

Heather shook her head. "I actually feel sorry for him. If I thought he'd take the advice, I'd try to help him get a girlfriend."

It was Astrid's turn to shudder. "Snotlout and dating advice. Two things that should never, ever be put together in a sentence." Then she thought about it. "You know. I just realized maybe the reason he can't get a girl is because he doesn't actually want one."

Heather tilted her head in what Astrid could only describe as a cute, confused way. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, I mean think about it. The only people he actually expresses true emotions to are guys. He actually nearly fell in love with Fishlegs that time he was all manly and tough. You remember don't you? Us telling you about the hypnosis?"

Heather's eyes widened. "Oh my gods. It make so much sense!"

Astrid leaned forward. "Right? It's perfect!"

Then Heather snickered. "I wonder how long it'll take him to figure it out."

Astrid snorted. "It's Snotlout."

"So never."

"Pretty much." They laughed.

Astrid stood and stretched. "Want to see if our water is ready?"

"Yes. I think that would be perfect. I'll wash your back if you'll wash mine."

The blonde rider grinned at her. "Sounds perfect."

She checked the water, which was now steaming slightly and found it to be the perfect temperature. With Heather's help, the dragged a large wooden tub up from the sleeping rooms and in front of the fire. Heather went back down to collect some soap and furs for them to dry and wash with, while Astrid carefully poured the water from the cauldrons into the tub and collected a small pot for them to rinse with. They quickly stripped and got in, knowing the water wouldn't remain so warm for long and both of them sighed contentedly as they settled in. It was large enough for them to sit facing each other, with their legs up and between each other's. Their knees brushed as they got comfortable but neither of them minded, soaking up the warmth from the water.

"Now this is the life." Astrid groaned happily, draping her arms on the sides of the tub.

Heather hummed in agreement and mirrored her. Before leaning her head back and closing her eyes. Astrid did the same and they sat like that until the water began to cool noticeably which was far too soon for their liking. Astrid sighed and sat up. "Alright, come on. Turn around and I'll wash your back."

"Ok." Heather reached for a few cloths and the lump of soap. She handed them to Astrid, before shifting around to sit between her legs.

Astrid soaked and soaped the rags and handed one to Heather so she could wash her front at the same time. They set to work and Astrid couldn't help but to watch the way the water glistened as it rolled down Heather's smooth, pale skin. There were a few small scars, but they did nothing to detract from her beauty. If anything they made her more beautiful. She saw a newer one and frowned.

"How'd this happen?" She asked softly, lightly tracing the puckered skin on the back of her shoulder.

Heather sighed. "Is it bad?"

"No, it isn't bad, I just don't remember it."

"It's pretty recent." She sighed again. "Promise not to laugh."

Astrid was confused. "Why would I laugh?"

"Because I know you."

"Ok." Astrid said slowly, drawing out the word. "Fine, I promise. Now tell me."

"Well, you know how I raid ships and stuff and redistribute the stolen goods right?"

Astrid growled. "I thought you'd stopped doing that. It's dangerous and you know it."

Heather turned her head to glare. "Listen first, lecture later."

Astrid humphed. She most certainly would bring it up later, but she let it go for the moment. "Go on."

"Ok so everything went fine. I got the goods and went to deliver them to Johann, as usual. Well, Johann had laid over in a small fishing village and had neglected to tell them he was expecting company from a dragon rider. Every single man, woman and child in that village went berserk." She paused to grab the rinsing bucket. "Now. You'd think that because they were a fishing village they wouldn't be well armed. Wrong. They had everything. Including catapults. It was worse than some of Dagur's attacks. Johann finally got them all calmed down and I was able to land. You can imagine how mad I was for them having shot at me and I slipped off of Windshear intending on giving them a good verbal thrashing." She paused again.

Astrid waited for a moment for her to continue. When she didn't, the blonde poked her. "And?"

Heather sighed heavily. "And I tripped on a stupid crab and fell on Windshear's tail. That's how I got the scar."

Astrid held her breath. She tried her best not to laugh, putting up a mightily heroic effort not to, but when Heather turned around and glared at the look on her face, cheeks still pink with embarrassment, she couldn't hold it in any longer. She literally had to hang on to the side of the tub she was laughing so hard.

"Wash your own damn back. "Heather snapped and went to stand up.

Astrid immediately sobered and wrapped her arms around the other girl to keep her there. "Oh, Heather, I'm sorry. Come on, don't be mad." Heather still didn't relax. "To be fair, if it had happened to me, I would have fully expected you to laugh." No response. Astrid sighed. "I'll make it up to you."

Heather was quiet for another moment before glancing back and seeing the earnest expression on Astrid's face. Astrid laid it on thick, letting her eyes get big and pouting just a tiny bit. Heather pressed her lips into a frim line, trying not to smile, but Astrid could see her the corner of her mouth twitching and strengthened her attack. Her eyes widened even more and she let her lower lip tremble. She let out the tiniest whimper. Heather giggled and then sighed in defeat.

"Alright. How do you plan on making it up to me?"

Astrid smirked smugly. "It's a surprise. You get it when we get to leave." Heather pouted, but Astrid's smug look didn't fade. "I promise you will absolutely love it."

"I'd better." The dark haired rider growled. "Alright, hurry and let me wash your back. The water is getting cold."

Astrid did so and quickly washed herself, while Heather got her back. They stood to wash their lower halves and rinse and then stepped out onto a towel and helped each other dry off quickly to ward off the chill in the air. It was colder tonight, than it had been the previous night. Astrid didn't dare open on of the windows in the main room to check the storm, instead climbing back up the stairs after she'd dressed. It had started sleeting and snowing in earnest and the wind was as strong as ever. Shivering, she went back down to the fire.

"It's still pretty bad out there and the temperature is dropping like mad. We should keep the fire going all night and light one in the sleeping room too. Help me gather the wood?" She asked, gesturing to the pile near the doors.

Heather rolled her eyes. "Like you even need to ask."

Astrid grinned at her and they did so as well as dragging the still full tub to the doors so it would be out of the way and ready to dump the next day if the weather permitted. Astrid grabbed another torch and juggled it and a large armload of wood down the stairs. Heather followed her with an equally large load and tinder and soon they had a roaring fire there as well. Astrid dusted her hands and stood after arranging the last log on the fire.

"There. That should do us for a while."

Heather nodded. "We can take turns checking on it in the night."

"Sounds like a plan to me." A yawn caught her by surprise and she wasn't able to stifle it. Heather giggled, then yawned as well. "I think it's time for bed." Astrid chuckled.

"I second that motion."

Astrid went up to throw another log or two on the upstairs fire and make sure all the shutters were fastened properly. When she got back down she saw that Heather had put a few extra blankets and a large fur on the bed and was slipping into it in only her underwear. Astrid stopped short at the sight. Then smiled and stripped as well.

"I figured we could share body heat easier this way.' Heather explained as the blonde rider slipped into bed beside her.

Astrid reached over and pulled her close. "Not a problem. I enjoy holding you like this."

Heather grinned wickedly up at her. "Why, Miss Hofferson. You wouldn't be after my chastity would you?" Astrid jerked and looked down at her, sputtering in shock, her face beet red. Heather giggled and kissed her on the cheek. "That reaction!" Her giggles turned to laughs and it took her a moment to compose herself.

"Harpy." Astrid growled.

Heather simply smiled. "You know you love me." She cooed, batting her long eyelashes.

Astrid couldn't hold onto her anger. "Of course, I do. And you love me."

Heather smiled wider. "Of course, I do." And then she snuggled back into Astrid's side, sighing happily when the blonde pulled her even closer and started to play with her hair. She linked their fingers again and felt Astrid sigh. "I think I want to sleep like this forever. I feel so safe with you, no matter where we are."

Astrid kissed the top of her head. "I feel the same way."

As Astrid continued playing with her hair, Heather drifted off to sleep. Astrid, however, couldn't stop thinking about what Heather had said about her chastity. She felt strange, just thinking about it but now that it was in her head, she couldn't shake the thoughts it brought up. Hadn't they just talked about Snotlout being attracted to other males? Neither she nor heather had thought it was strange for him to like someone of his own gender, even going as far as to praise it.

Was that kind of relationship really possible? She looked down at Heather's sleeping face and felt her heart clench in a familiar way. Now though, that familiar feeling that she'd been feeling for so long took on a new depth. Could she possibly have a crush on her best friend?

She mentally shook herself. It had been an eventful day and she'd had quite a lot to drink. Maybe she should revisit this issue when her mind was clear. Sleep was what she needed now. Everything else could wait until morning. Still, she couldn't stop herself from burying her nose in Heather's soft hair and taking a long, slow breath, taking in her scent and feeling contentment settle over her. Yes, there was nothing to worry about. Everything would work itself out. She relaxed and let the sound of the crackling fire lull her to sleep.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Shot's fired! Let me know what you thought!

Reviews are like cherries and the flames melt the butter for my toast!

NOTE: I shall no longer be allowing hateful reviews to be posted and shall remove all that are inappropriate or that contain profanity unless they are from people who have signed into their accounts. If you are going to flame, please at least make an account and do it properly! Have a nice day! :D


	3. Chapter 3

A Dragon Rider's Heart

Chapter 3

A/N: Hi all. So this chappy is kinda short, but I hoping you'll forgive me after reading it! :D

Read on, my loves!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Astrid woke sometime later to find her arms empty and her head pounding. She groaned as she opened her eyes and saw Heather smiling down at her. Her friend was perched on the side of the bed and already dressed, so she assumed she'd slept much longer than she'd intended.

"Bout time you woke up." She said cheerily as Astrid struggled to sit up. "Here." She pressed a small cup of liquid into her hand.

"Thanks." The blonde muttered and Threw back the contents in one go. Then she gagged. "What in the name of Thor did you give me?" She cried as she tried to remove the taste from her tongue.

Heather giggled. "It'll help your head. I knew we had too much to drink last night. I felt like death when I woke up, so I whipped you up some too. Just don't ask what's in it."

"Blech. No problem there." She shuddered again. "How long have you been up?" She asked as Heather handed her another cup, this one filled with water.

"Not long."

"Well thanks. For the medicine I mean. I already feel better."

Heather smiled at her. "Good. Though I guess it wouldn't hurt to lie here for a bit longer."

"Storm still bad?"

The ebony rider nodded. "I'm surprised it's lasting this long."

Astrid shrugged and started to get out of bed. "It happens out here. We've had some last upwards of a week. Not as strong as this one though. We might get rain for a few days after this main monster passes, but nothing we can't fly in."

"How long will our supplies last?"

Astrid grinned. "Hiccup and I made sure we were well stocked just for occasions like this. With only two of us there should be nothing to worry about. We prepared enough for several people and dragons for at least a week. There's enough fish alone to sink a boat in the back storage area." She said with no small amount of pride.

Heather was relieved. "Good." Then she looked down and away.

Astrid caught the careful look on her face and realized her friend was hiding something from her. She finished pulling on her clothes from the previous night and then crawled back onto the bed to sit near her. "What's wrong?" She asked softly.

Heather sighed. "I'm worried about Windshear. We. We haven't been apart this long in a long time. I'm afraid she might hurt herself trying to get to me. I can't stop thinking about it."

Astrid sympathized, though she and Stormfly were used to separating at times, she still missed her dragon. "It'll be ok. I promise. Hiccup and the others will keep her safe. And Stormfly is with her. They'll keep her from doing anything foolish. And if anything does happen, Hiccup will make sure to send a signal."

Heather sighed. "I know. I just can't help but to worry. She hasn't really had a chance to get used to anyone other than us. I'm afraid she might hurt someone."

"If she does it will be Snotlout or the twins and it will be their fault. Though I'm pretty certain Tuffnut loves her enough to know better. He's probably out on the beach trying find sea slugs for her. You know how much he likes her and Ruffnut isn't far behind. They might be mutton heads, but they will keep her safe. And Fishlegs knows how to care for almost any dragon when it's injured or upset. They won't be able to help her stop missing you, but like I said, we will make it up to them once we can get to them, or them to us. I promise." Heather took a deep shaky breath and nodded. Astrid pulled her into hug. "It'll work out."

Without warning, Heather suddenly pushed her back on the bed and lay down beside her. Astrid was surprised for a moment before pulling her close. She didn't say anything as her fellow rider started to shake with silent sobs, simply rubbing her back and petting her hair. After a little while, Heather's sobs finally slowed. She clung to the blonde for a few moments, before taking a deep breath and pulling back with a teary smile.

"Thanks, Astrid."

Astrid pushed a small lock of hair out of her face and cupped her cheek. "Anytime." She brushed a lingering tear up with her thumb and brought it to her lips to kiss it away.

Heather smiled a little brighter at the gesture and lay back down, pillowing her head on Astrid's shoulder. Astrid hugged her tight, having no desire to get up. Her head was still a little sore despite the medicine and, though she was usually very active, she wasn't feeling up to much. It seemed Heather was feeling the same way, because she didn't attempt to move until a crumbling log in the fireplace broke the silence.

She sighed. "I suppose we should get up shouldn't we?" She asked, lifting her head slightly to look up at her friend.

Astrid looked down and smiled. "Maybe, but I'm pretty comfortable at the moment."

Heather grinned. "I am too." So she lay her head back down.

They talked for a little while, keeping to lighter subjects and mildly amusing stories. Heather talked about a few new islands she'd visited. One in particular she described as having a few spectacular waterfalls that Astrid commented she wouldn't mind seeing.

"Let's do it." Heather said suddenly, half sitting up and propping herself on the arm that wasn't around her friend.

"Do what?"

"Go see it. After the storm clears and we are able to fly again. It'll be a great way to reconnect with the dragons too. We can just pack a few things and take off." Her eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

Astrid contemplated this for a few moments. She knew that there were going to be some major repairs needed on the towers and compound after this storm, not to mention to the small plots of farmland they'd started. The trees would need tending, and the animals. Hiccup would also want to send some of them to Berk to check on things there and to help them if needed. Taking a trip while all of that needed to be done would be irresponsible, selfish even.

Yet, she wanted to do it. She could think of nothing better after being trapped for a few days than a long, no strings exploration trip with her best friend and their dragons. She longed to be among the clouds and out adventuring, maybe stirring up some trouble so she could have a good fight, though she knew she'd never actually do the last on purpose. It sounded perfect, but would she be able to do it without feeling guilty the whole time they were gone?

Heather seemed to feel her hesitation and could guess what was stopping her from agreeing. "After we spend enough time helping out so you can go with a clear conscious that is." She added in an amused tone.

"How'd you know I was feeling guilty?" Astrid asked, surprised.

Heather chuckled softly at her wide eyed expression. "It's you, Astrid. You have a very deep rooted sense of duty. Not that it's a bad thing but it does get in the way of fun sometimes."

Astrid blushed under her knowing look. "I know how to have fun." She grumbled.

At this, Heather laughed. "Did I say you didn't? You're a ton of fun, but only after you're finished working. Once again, it isn't a bad thing. I'll even stay and help so we can get done even faster."

"So you're going to stay?" She asked, pleased.

"For the repairs. After that." she trailed off, averting her eyes.

Astrid couldn't help the pang of disappointment, even though she'd known. Still, Heather had at least promised a longer visit and that was enough. "Ok. I promise to only delay the repairs for a few days then. Can't have you running off on me too soon." She quipped with a smirk.

Heather laughed and Astrid felt that all too familiar tug on her heart. She suddenly remembered her revelation from last night and couldn't help but to blush as she remembered some of the thoughts that had gone through her head; like just how kissable her best friend looked when she laughed.

Heather noticed and her laughter trailed off as she gave the blonde and inquisitive look. "Astrid?"

Astrid looked quickly away and tried to pull away. "It's nothing."

Heather would have none of it and quickly maneuvered herself to stop her. "Not so fast."

Astrid's blush intensified as the ebony haired rider straddled her, hands holding her own pinned to the thin mattress. "W-what are you doing?"

Heather smirked. "Why are you blushing?"

"I don't know!" She squirmed in an attempt to free herself, trying to ignore how good it felt to be held there like this by her best friend. "Why are you holding me down?"

"Why are you avoiding the question?" Heather asked, her voice strained as she tried to hold her grip.

"What question? Let me go!" Astrid was quickly growing panicked and had no idea why.

Heather noticed and suddenly grew concerned. "Astrid, calm down! What's with you?"

Astrid forced herself to relax and take a few breaths. "Sorry." She mumbled.

Heather loosened her grip. "It's ok. I didn't mean to freak you out or anything. I was just. messing around. I'm sorry too."

Astrid couldn't let her feel guilty over her own abnormal thoughts. "No, it wasn't you. I... I just had a weird thought was all and then ." She trailed off.

Heather smiled lightly down at her flustered friend. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Astrid met her gaze. "I know, but this is different."

Heather quirked an eyebrow and Astrid's heart flopped as she tilted her head in that irresistibly cute way again. "How so? It's nothing bad right?"

"No. Or at least, I don't think so." She said uncertainly. Were these thoughts bad?

Heather leaned closer. "Then tell me." She ordered.

Astrid weighed the thoughts in her head. Heather was right there, demanding to know. They were going to be stuck here for at least another night and Astrid knew that even if she dodged the question now, Heather would dog her about it until she broke anyway. Would it be so bad for her to know? Was she even ready to say these thoughts out loud so soon after discovering them? Would it change anything? Would her best friend hate her if she knew?

Heather was still looking down at her. Her green eyes sparkled in the light from the fire and her face was stern, yet soft and so close. Astrid let her gaze wander over her friend's face. The part of her hair, her thin eyebrows, her soft cheekbones, her tiny nose, her lips. Her gaze lingered there. They looked so soft, even scrunched up into a scowl like they were at the moment.

Astrid felt her breath catch as those lips relaxed and parted slightly and she realized she'd lifted her head towards them unconsciously. Blue eyes met green for only a moment, before their lips brushed ever so slightly and they drifted shut. They brushed again, firmer this time, and Astrid felt a zing of sensation, before Heather pushed into her and their lips meet in earnest. She heard the tiniest sigh as their lips parted and the kiss grew more passionate. Heather let herself fall on top of her friend, still loosely pinning the blonde's arms above their heads as they continued to kiss and Astrid couldn't stop a tiny moan from escaping. Heather ate the sound, nipping Astrid's lips lightly with hers, making the blonde dragonrider's head swoon. She had no idea how long the kiss lasted, only that she wished it would never end.

Finally, need for air broke them apart. Heather brushed her lips over Astrid's one final time before pulling back to look at her. Astrid's heart flipped at the look on her face. Her eyes were dark and her lips were still slightly parted as she panted lightly. Heather smiled brightly at her and she felt herself respond almost without thinking it.

"That was incredible." She whispered.

"I'll say. I'm just glad I wasn't the only one who wanted to kiss my best friend silly." She smirked.

Astrid blinked, her eyes widening in shock. "Since when?"

Heather blushed. "For a while now actually. I was just afraid to say anything. I wasn't sure if you'd feel the same way."

Astrid smiled. "I actually only realized it last night, but somehow I don't think I would have objected." She chuckled.

Heather grinned down at her. "Good." She let herself fall back down on top of Astrid and their lips met again.

Astrid met her with a fervor and tried to free her hands. Heather tightened her grip, deepening the kiss. Astrid soon forgot any thought of escape and simply lost herself to the sensations. She felt like she could go on kissing her forever.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

First kiss! Squee! Hope you enjoyed! Remember to R&R!


	4. Chapter 4

A Dragon Rider's Heart

Chapter 4

A/N: Here's chappy four! Longer note at the end. Read on!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Astrid felt like she was in Valhalla already as she and Heather kissed one more time, before the ebony rider lifted her head and smiled down at her. Her heart was so full it felt it might break. Heather finally released her hands and Astrid immediately reached for her, cupping Heather's cheek and brushing a strand of hair from her face while the other went to play with the soft hair on the back of Heather's neck. Heather leaned into her touch for a moment and Astrid pulled her back down. Their lips brushed once more, before Heather pulled away suddenly.

"What's wrong?"

Heather blushed. "As much as I want to lie here and do this all night… I'm getting hungry and I didn't want to pull a you."

Astrid chuckled, glad it wasn't anything serious. "Then let's get you fed. I'm hungry too. We've been filling up on mostly mead the last two days."

Heather laughed as she crawled off of the bed and reached out a hand to pull Astrid to her feet. "Yeah, I think I'll stick to tea today."

"Same. I think my body will rebel if I drink anymore." She said lightly, patting her tummy.

The girls headed up the stairs and into the storage area. "So. What are you feeling like today? We have eggs and sausages if you want breakfast. There's some bread here that isn't too hard and we have some cheese and things for sandwiches. Or we could go big and have a roast. It's up to you." She said, lifting the insulating drape that separated the colder part of the storage area and showing off the wares there.

Heather contemplated for a moment. "How about the sandwiches for now and we can put a roast on later if we feel like it? I kind've want something quick and simple."

Astrid smiled. "I like the way you think, my dear. Would chicken work?" She asked, smirking as she thought about their history with chicken.

Heather caught her look and giggled. "Sure."

They quickly gathered the ingredients and made a few thick sandwiches each, using some thin slices of cheese and meat. Heather quickly heated some water for tea and they settled down to eat.

"Much better." Heather sighed happily.

Astrid grinned at her. "I think I may be rubbing off on you."

Heather grinned wickedly and opened her mouth to comment, when they heard a plasma blast from outside. They both jumped up and Astrid scrambled to get her spyglass. Her heart was in her throat as she and Heather dashed up the stairs to the tower window. She tore open the shutter and looked through the spyglass.

It was almost night and the rain, ice and wind were still swirling madly, but she could make out the tower. As she watched, the green flag dropped and the yellow flag took its place. Trouble, nothing serious if it was the yellow flag, but still. She nearly cried out, before a purple flag joined it. Strangers. Toothless blasted again, but no new flags went up.

"Something's up at the compound. Strangers. They must have been caught out in the storm. He didn't fly the red or orange so I don't think there's danger and no one but our team knows the flags so Hiccup, at least, is ok."

"What about the dragons?" Heather asked worriedly.

"No teal, so they must be ok. It has to be something serious though, or he wouldn't have signaled."

"If they were sailing in this storm, it's likely they wrecked onto the beach. If they were out, they've probably been sailing since before it started and have been in it since. They're probably not in very good shape."

As she spoke, Toothless blasted again and Astrid looked to see the yellow flag drop and the blue flag take its place. The purple stayed up.

"You're right." She sighed, turning back to Heather. "He just signaled injuries, but left up the stranger flag, so it must be them." She growled in frustration. "I hate not being able to help." Then she sighed. "We need to signal back that we heard."

"Need me to come up with you?"

Astrid shook her head. "No use in both of us getting drenched. Would you hang on to this for me?" She asked, handing her the spyglass. Heather took it and nodded, staying by the window.

Astrid climbed up the last few stairs and opened the trap door much more carefully than she had before. As soon as it opened she dashed out into the freezing rain and sleet. She slipped on an icy patch of stone and she barely managed to grab on to one of the flagpole's supports to save herself from a nasty fall. Shivering, she carefully made her way to the anchored flag cords and released one. The pink flag shot up, taking its place slightly under the green flag and she quickly made her way back into the safety of the tower and struggled to shut the trap door. Heather wasn't on the stairs as she made her way back down and she found out why as her friend met her with a towel and a blanket.

"Come on! Out of those before you catch your death." She commanded, reaching for the tie of Astrid's pants.

Too cold to be embarrassed, she let Heather help her undress and dry off, before wrapping herself in the blanket. Heather pushed her into a padded chair near the fire, pushing her so close, Astrid feared the blanket would singe, before fixing her another cup of tea, before going back towards the kitchen area. Astrid chuckled at her doting.

"I was only out there for a minute. We were out there longer the first day we were here."

Heather scoffed from where she was tidying up their mess. "It wasn't nearly as cold then. And besides, you were out there long enough to get soaked. That's more than long enough to get sick."

"Ok, ok." Astrid held up her free hand in a placating gesture. She took a sip of her tea and set it on the tiny table beside her. "Happy?"

Heather grinned in a predatory way and Astrid gulped at the intense look in her eyes. She suddenly felt very much like running, thought she wasn't sure why as Heather slowly stalked closer, hips swaying, shoulders back. Astrid felt her mouth go dry as Heather finally reached her and slowly climbed onto the chair, straddling the flustered blonde and wrapping her arms around her neck. She leaned forward slowly and Astrid was suddenly acutely aware of her nakedness beneath the blanket.

"Now I am." Heather whispered, just a second before their lips touched.

The kiss was soft and tender and Astrid's tension melted away as their lips moved together, parting as the kiss grew stronger. Astrid brought her arms up, forgetting to cover herself as she wrapped her arms around Heather and pulled her closer. As the moments passed, the once soft kiss grew more passionate and they clung tightly to each other as their lips parted and their tongue met. Astrid tilted her head and opened her mouth wider to coax Heather's lips further apart and then her tongue darted inside to take a deeper taste of her best friend. Heather let her explore, before pushing back and it became a fight for control of the kiss. Neither gave in, until lack of air forced them apart. Both were breathing heavily and they smiled softly at each other. Astrid kissed her nose lightly and Heather giggled softly, bumping their foreheads together.

After a moment, Heather smirked. "So. Feeling all warmed up now, love?"

Astrid blushed but couldn't help but to chuckle. "Toasty."

Then she swallowed as Heather's eyes grew darker and the ebony haired rider licked her lips. Astrid suddenly realized Heather was looking a bit further down than her face and glanced down to see that the blanket had fallen to her waist. She shivered at the hungry look on her best friend's face, and it seemed to snap the other rider out of her haze.

Heather blinked suddenly, looking away with a fierce blush. "You should… um… probably put on some clothes."

Astrid smirked at the sudden change in demeanor. This was the first time she'd seen Heather truly flustered in a long time and she found she rather enjoyed it. "Oh? But why?"

Heather's blush grew stronger. "I … um… well-"

"What's wrong, babe? Terrible Terror got your tongue?" She teased.

Heather looked back at her and the look on her face sent a chill up Astrid's spine and she felt herself blush. She didn't have time to think before Heather's lips were on hers and her gasp opened the way for the other girl's tongue. She mewled into ebony rider's mouth as Heather plundered her mouth, giving no quarter. The blonde couldn't fight the intensity of the kiss and honestly didn't want to, submitting like she never had before. When the other rider pulled away, Astrid could only sit there and pant, her mouth open in a little 'o' of surprise and her eyes wide. Her body felt hot and her skin ran in goosebumps as Heather looked her over hungrily.

Heather smirked. "What's wrong, _babe_?" She asked in a triumphant manner. Astrid's blush intensified and she struggled to find a response. "I thought so. Now, put on some clothes before I ravish you silly." Heather nearly growled as she moved to stand.

Astrid covered herself, trying to remember why that would be a bad thing. She meekly put on her underwear as Heather handed it to her and her blush seemed permanent. When Heather didn't hand her any more of her clothes, she finally looked at the other girl and froze when she realized Heather was stripping down into her own underwear.

Heather noticed her look and shrugged. "I just kind've want to hold you like this for a little while." She looked away to toss her clothes in the small basket they'd been throwing their dirty clothes in, blushing. "I mean, if that's ok?" She grinned sheepishly as she looked back.

In answer, Astrid took the few steps to her and took the other rider into her arms. Heather sighed happily and Astrid smiled as she snuggled closer, wrapping her arms around the blonde rider's waist. It was just as nice as she remembered, holding her best friend close with so little on. Not as nice as holding her in bed, but a different nice. It reminded her of the times they'd gone swimming during Heather's infrequent visits, or when they met up on a scouting mission and had time to spare.

"We should definitely go swimming again on the trip."

"Definitely." The ebony rider murmured. "I'll get to ogle you when you're all wet and not have to try and hide how attracted I am to you."

Astrid chuckled. "I only wish I'd figured all this out sooner. When I think of all the time we could have had together like this…" She paused to kiss Heather's neck.

Heather responded by turning her head and giving the blonde a soft kiss. "It just makes the time we get in the future more special."

Astrid smiled brightly at her. "That's a nice way to think about it." Then she pulled away. "Come on. Let's light a fire downstairs and lie in bed and hold each other for a little while."

"Let's."

A few minutes and a fire later found them back in bed and in each other's arms. "So." Astrid started as she braided with Heather's dark hair. "What are we going to do? About us, I mean." She rushed to add, suddenly feeling flustered. "I mean. Are we… dating now? Or…?"

Heather laughed. "Don't get so tied up in it, Astrid. But … I wouldn't mind being able to tell everyone I've got a hot girlfriend stashed away on a remote island somewhere." She quipped with a cocky grin over her shoulder.

Astrid flooded with relief and grinned to hide it. "Girlfriend, huh? I rather like the sound of that, my dear." Then she frowned. "What do we tell the others? I mean Hiccup and the rest."

Heather was quiet for a moment. "I'd like to tell Hiccup, but I'd actually like to keep it kind of secret from the others for a little while, if that's ok? I mean, Hiccup is your best friend besides me and I trust him more than anyone but you. He'll keep it a secret if we ask."

"He will. He's good like that. I'm actually kind of glad we aren't telling the others. Especially with strangers on the island." She added, suddenly remembering them. She shook off thoughts about them. It would only drive her crazy to speculate. "I mean, Fishlegs would keep it a secret too, but I wouldn't trust the twins as far as I could throw Barf and Belch and Snotlout…" She trailed off with a shudder. "Well, until he finds a boyfriend I don't want to put any ideas in his head."

"Eeeeeew! Astrid!" Heather wined, pulling away to look at her in disgust. "That is _so_ not anything I wanted to think about!"

Astrid laughed. "Well _I_ thought it so I had to share my mental trauma with you. Sharing is caring!" She chimed with an exaggerated smile.

"Harpy." Heather snapped playfully as she snatched up a pillow and smacked the surprised blonde upside the head.

Astrid gasped. "You did _not_ just hit me."

Heather stuck out her tongue and nearly bit it off by accident as Astrid retaliated with her own pillow. Heather glared at her and Astrid sent her a cocky grin. "Oh, it is on!"

They started smacking each other with the pillows in earnest, both of them getting some pretty good hits, until, with a loud ripping noise, Astrid's pillow burst open in a rain of feathers. She looked at the now empty piece of cloth in her hand and both of them burst out laughing, rolling around in their mirth. They finally calmed down enough to look at each other and both of them looked so ridiculous with feathers sticking to their skin and out of their hair that both of them started laughing again.

"Oh my god, what a mess!" Heather commented when they finally calmed down enough to assess the damage.

"This is going to take forever to clean up." Astrid agreed, reaching over to start pulling feathers out of Heather's hair. Heather returned the gesture and soon they were both feather free. Astrid started to put the loose feathers back in the pillow, but Heather stopped her.

"Leave them for now. Let's just use another bed and pick them up in the morning. That wore me out."

Astrid was tired herself so she let her girlfriend pull her to one of the other, smaller beds. Her girlfriend. It was the first time she'd actually used the word in her head. She smiled and couldn't resist pulling Heather into a kiss, before climbing onto the bed and under the covers.

Heather blinked and joined her. "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that about?"

Astrid smiled. "I just realized I could call you my girlfriend and couldn't resist."

Heather smiled back and climbed on top of the blonde. "Yes. I'm your girlfriend and you're mine." She leaned down and kissed her soundly. "And now I can kiss you anytime I want."

Astrid reached up and grasped the back of Heather's head, pulling her down into another kiss. "Yes you can."

Heather let herself fall on top of her and laid there for a moment, before shifting to the side and pillowing her head on Astrid's shoulder. Astrid pulled her close and Heather snuggled into her usual sleeping position when they were together. Astrid linked their fingers together as Heather snaked an arm around her waist and both of them sighed contentedly.

Astrid felt happier than she had in a long time. Her heart was full to bursting with love for Heather. As soon as the weather cleared enough for her to see her dragon, life would be perfect. After she'd done her duty to her team and their island and home on Berk and took care of the mysterious strangers, she'd be going on a trip with her girlfriend and their dragons. The sky was the limit and she couldn't be happier.

She kissed the top of Heather's head softly. "I love you."

Heather looked up at her and smiled sleepily. "I love you, too. I'm so glad I can say that as more than a friend now."

Astrid leaned down and kissed her softly. "Me too."

They kissed once more and Heather snuggled back into her shoulder. Astrid squeezed her tight. Yes, her life was great right now. She drifted to sleep with a smile on her face.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Just wanted to say I'm going to a convention out of town this weekend and the next few days are going to be kind of hectic as I finish my costume, (Gender-bent Nicolas from Gangsta! If you haven't seen it, I'd suggest it even if it isn't finished!) and get the house in order before the trip. I will try to get the next chapter edited and posted before I leave, but if I don't manage to find the time, it will be up no later than Monday night. Just stick with me, we've got a long way to go! Ja ne! :D


	5. Chapter 5

A Dragon Rider's Heart

Chapter 5

A/N: I worked my tooshie off getting this chapter up and ready before I left for you, my loves. It's a little short and might have a few more mistakes. Gomen. I decided that since it was going to be a long wait this time between chaps I'd do my best to get Chapter 6 up at some point tonight as well. If I don't manage, I deeply apologize and will see you Monday.

 **RANT WARNING!** : Also, I just wanted to note, if I receive any reviews that don't actually pertain to the story, I delete them immediately. I get that you don't like the pairing, but I honestly just don't care. It is my story and I have creative freedom to put characters with whomever I please. Hell, I've read stories about Hiccup with Toothless. At least I'm not going with that route. (Not that I'm dissing those stories necessarily, you also have the freedom to write what you choose.)  
This site is meant to be a collaboration of many different peoples and stories and I appreciate everyone who writes, even those who go with pairings I don't necessarily support. So buck up folks and put your big girl panties and your big boy britches on and let the story flow. We are all supposed to be adults (or at least if you are on an M story you should be) so don't hate, just go read something else. I promise, I won't miss your traffic. :D

Anyway! For those of you who do want to read a lot of shameless lesbian fluff, read on!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

A loud banging woke the girls up with a jerk. Both of them jumped out of the bed and pulled on the last sets of clothes Astrid had stored. They dashed up the stairs as the banging started again.

"Astrid! Heather! Open up!" A voice they recognized as Hiccup's called from outside the doors.

"The storm must be over!" Astrid cried happily as she rushed to open undo the lock. Before she could open them, the door flew open and she had to scramble back to keep from getting hit. A large blur knocked her to the ground and she had only a second to identify Stormfly, before the dragon started licking her in earnest, crooning happily at being reunited with her rider and friend. "Stormfly!" Astrid cried reaching up to hug the Nadder, as much to stop her from licking as out of joy at seeing her. The Nadder lifted her head pulling Astrid to her feet in a familiar gesture. "Oh, I missed you so much!"

A loud laugh from the side made her glance over and she smiled as she saw Windshear giving Heather a similar greeting. She smiled when Heather glanced over and then returned to snuggling her dragon. She gave her dragon a good scratch and turned Hiccup, who was still standing in the doorway quietly as they greeted the dragons. She ran towards him and gave him a tackling hug. He let out an `oof' of surprise and only Toothless's quick reflexes stopped them from falling.

Both of them laughed as they straightened and Hiccup patted the Night Fury's head fondly. "Thanks, bud."

"Hiccup!" Heather cried as she ran towards them.

"Heather!" He greeted her happily as she threw her arms around him in a hug that wasn't quite as active as Astrid's had been but just warm.

She pulled back and grinned up at him. "Did you get taller again? When are you going to start putting on muscles instead of inches?" She teased, stepping back.

"Har har har." He said sarcastically as Astrid laughed. "It's great to see you, but did you have to bring the wrath of the gods down on us when you came?"

Heather gasped in mock affront before smirking. "Not my fault they're jealous of all this awesome." She flipped her hair in cocky gesture.

Astrid licked her lips and had a sudden urge to kiss her girlfriend. She always loved it when Heather acted so confident. Hiccup's laugh snapped her back into her senses. "Better be careful there. Wouldn't want to tick anyone off." He joked, glancing up at the sky. It was clear, as if the storm had never happened, only a few fluffy white clouds to be seen.

Stormfly suddenly tried to nudge her head under her arm and she turned to give her dragon some more attention and realizing that Hiccup had saddled her. "Thanks for saddling her, Hiccup." She gave her friend a light punch on the arm and he pretended it hurt. Astrid chuckled and turned back to her dragon. "Wanna go for a quick fly, girl?" The Nadder crooned and pranced a little in excitement.

"That is a spectacular idea!" Heather said happily, turning to pet Windshear. "You wanna fly too, girl?" The Razorwhip nudged her happily and moved towards the door.

Astrid turned to Hiccup. "Want to come along?"

Hiccup grinned. "Thanks, but I need to get back I just came to check on you and give you the news. Oh and I need to get a little of the painkilling herbs from the stores. Take your time though. I don't think we'll be doing much today. Everyone's too excited to be outside. There are some people I want you to meet though."

Astrid snapped her fingers. "That's right! The strangers. Is everyone ok?"

Hiccup nodded. "They will be. It was a small family party and crew. They were going to visit some relatives in another village when the storm hit. A few cuts and scrapes and a broken bone or two. They looked a lot worse than they were. If I'd know it wasn't serious I wouldn't have worried you, but a few of them were carrying on like they were dying. Wait `til you meet them. I know you're going to really like one or two."

Astrid went to respond when Stormfly nudged her insistently. She laughed at her eager dragon. "We can talk when I get back to the compound. Someone needs to work off some of her energy." She teased her dragon softly.

"I guess I shouldn't have let Fishlegs feed her all that chicken then!" He laughed. " I'll see you both in a little while. Have fun!" He waved and went inside the tower. The Night Fury crooned at them affectionately, before following his rider.

"Oh, we will." Heather called, already astride Windshear. She gave her dragon's neck an affectionate pat, before looking over at Astrid. "Mind if we take a quick trip to my island? I'll leave my things here, but I want to check on my supplies and get some clothes and things."

"Not at all." Astrid turned to her dragon. "What about it, Stormfly?" The Nadder chirped and kneeled so her rider could mount.

Astrid hopped on and the Nadder took a few running steps before leaping off of the small balcony and into the air. Windshear and Heather were right behind them. The Razorwhip pulled up beside them. "How about a race?" Heather called over the rushing wind.

Astrid smirked. "You're on!"

Windshear roared happily and Stormfly responded. Heather patted the Razorwhip's neck and they shot forward. Astrid leaned forward on her Nadder and felt the dragon tense before they shot forward as well. With a happy whoop, the girls pointed their dragons to the sky, big smiles on both of their faces.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

About an hour later, they touched down at Heather's campsite. They slid off their dragons and Astrid gave her Nadder a quick scratch, before turning to Heather and pulling her into a happy kiss. Heather responded eagerly and it was a few moments before they pulled apart.

Heather smiled brightly and then turned to her dragon. "I know you must be hungry. Go eat while I pack up. I know there aren't as many of your favorite on The Edge." The Razorwhip nuzzled her affectionately and nudged Astrid, before turning to Stormfly and crooning.

The Nadder tilted her head and responded before looking inquisitively at her rider. Astrid smiled and patted her. "Go ahead and play. We'll be right here when you're done." The Nadder nuzzled her and then the two dragons took a few bounding leaps before taking off for the shore.

The girls watched them fly off, before turning to each other. "So. What can I do to help?" Astrid asked.

Heather smiled and turned to gesture to her campsite. "Not much actually. The tent is gone, not that I'm surprised, but it looks like everything else weathered the storm pretty well. I just need to gather a few changes of clothes and check my food. I would like to check everything though, just in case. Shouldn't take too long."

"Ok then. Let's get it done." Astrid said, clapping her hands and rubbing her palms together.

Heather laughed. "You, my dear, are too much."

They set to work, opening up caches and crates full of all the things Heather had `liberated' over the years. Astrid gaped when she opened a small chest and found it to be full of gems and gold. "Holy snapdragon." She whispered.

Heather looked over. "Ah. That one goes to Yohann next time I find him. Lifted it from a shipwreck on Knucklebone. It's an island a few hour's flight away and pretty tiny." She explained to Astrid's questioning look. "No bodies, no people, just that chest and a few papers. Windshear was the one who found it actually. We were there looking for signs of Riker or my brother. Dead end, but a lucky one at least."

Astrid looked back at the treasure and nodded. "I'll say." She said softly as she closed the chest.

Shortly after, everything was pronounced fine and they put everything they'd gotten out back away. Heather quickly packed a satchel full of clothes and other necessities. "Think we should go ahead and set some things aside for the trip before we call the dragons?"

"Sure." Astrid grinned. "Less time we have to wait before heading out. I gotta say, I'm pretty excited about it."

Heather grinned over at her. "Me too. Some of the places I want to go will surprise you. "Then she frowned. "Wait a second. I seem to remember a certain someone said they had a surprise for me, when we got out of that tower."

Astrid gasped. "I totally forgot about that." She recovered from her surprise and waved her finger at her girlfriend. "Hold that thought until we get back to the compound. It's in my hut."

Heather smirked, digging into the one crate she'd left open that contained most of her travel gear. "You'd better hope I like it enough to forgive you."

Astrid laughed. "If you don't, I know how to make you happy anyway." She started walking towards the other rider.

Heather hummed in amusement, still sorting through the items in the crate. "Oh? And how is th-"

Astrid cut her off with kiss, taking advantage of Heather's surprise to deepen it. After a moment, the ebony rider recovered enough to kiss her back. Astrid wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and held her close as their tongues met. Heather's hands smoothed up her back and into the blonde rider's hair, pushing their faces together even more. Astrid pulled back slightly, taking Heather's lower lip between her lips and sucking it gently. Heather moaned softy and Astrid was overcome with the desire to taste her. She released her bottom lip gently and started kissing her way to her neck. Gently, she bit the soft flesh under Heather's ear, before kissing and nipping her way down to the junction of her neck and shoulder. There, she finally allowed herself a deeper taste, sucking the soft skin into her mouth and grazing it lightly with her teeth. Heather moaned softly, hand fisting in the blonde's hair and shirt. Astrid, not wanting to leave a mark, soon released the flesh in her mouth and felt Heather tremble. The blonde rider quickly recaptured the other girl's lips and they kissed passionately.

The sound of flapping wings, brought them back to reality and they pulled apart, both breathing heavily to see Windshear and Stormfly returning. They smiled at each other and went to greet the two very happy dragons. Astrid noticed some dry patches as she was giving Stormfly a good scratching and mentally promised her a good oiling the next chance she had.

"Well. Are you ready to head back to reality?" Heather asked lightly.

Astrid grinned at her. "Not really, but I suppose we have to, don't we?"

"Or we could shirk our responsibilities until one of our conscious' drives us batty."

Astrid laughed and pulled her giggling girlfriend into her arms for a quick kiss. "Come on. Let's go before I forget why I have to."

Heather gave her another peck on the lips, before pulling away and taking a running leap to mount her dragon. Astrid turned and mounted Stormfly and a few moments later, they were airborne and on their way back to The Edge.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

And there is Chapter 5! Hope you enjoyed! Ja ne! :D

 **RANT WARNING!** : Also, I just wanted to note, if I receive any reviews that don't actually pertain to the story, I delete them immediately. I get that you don't like the pairing, but I honestly just don't care. It is my story and I have creative freedom to put characters with whomever I please. Hell, I've read stories about Hiccup with Toothless. At least I'm not going with that route. (Not that I'm dissing those stories necessarily, you also have the freedom to write what you choose.)  
This site is meant to be a collaboration of many different peoples and stories and I appreciate everyone who writes, even those who go with pairings I don't necessarily support. So buck up folks and put your big girl panties and your big boy britches on and let the story flow. We are all supposed to be adults (or at least if you are on an M story you should be) so don't hate, just go read something else. I promise, I won't miss your traffic. :D


	6. Chapter 6

A Dragon Rider's Heart

Chapter 6

A/N: Oh my goodness, it's been so long! I bet most of you thought I'd abandoned the story. Nope! Just had some familial troubles that had to be addressed after getting back from my trip. As an apology I've decided to post this extra-long chapter.

Also, SMUT WARNING! DON"T LIKE, DON'T READ! It's not all smut, so if you still want to read the chapter I clearly mark before the heavy stuff so you can just read to there.

Anyways. On with the fic!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Nice one, girl." Astrid praised as Stormfly gently lit down on the small tower balcony. She smirked over at Heather as she and Windshear landed. "Told you we'd win."

Heather mock glared and patted her Razorwhip. "Only because she has a full belly."

Astrid dismounted, smirking smugly. "Excuses, excuses." Heather stuck her tongue out at the blonde and she chuckled, pulling the ebony rider into her arms as she dismounted. "I believe my victory reward is in order." She leaned in for a kiss and got a gentle palm to the face as Heather pushed her away.

Astrid loosened her grip in surprise and Heather ducked out of her arms. "Unfair victory. If you want a reward you'll have to catch me first!" She called over her shoulder as she darted inside.

"Sneak!" Astrid yelled as she went after her. Heather disappeared down the stairs and Astrid followed. She ran full tilt down them and barely caught herself from crashing into her girlfriend who had halted at the bottom. Noticing how tense the other girl was, her playful mood died a quick death. "What is it?"

Heather turned to her, both hands on her mouth and her eyes wide with both surprise and mirth. Astrid was relieved nothing was actually wrong, but she was very confused at Heather's behavior as she started shaking slightly. She snorted and Astrid realized she was trying to contain her laughter and watched as Heather held her breath to try and compose herself.

Finally, the ebony rider took her hands from her mouth. "We forgot to clean up the feathers." She bit out, obviously still fighting not to laugh. She smacked her hands back over her mouth and wheezed slightly.

Astrid eyes went wide and she actually looked at the sleeping room. There were feathers all over one side of the room. It looked as if a storm of molting chickens had been in residence beside the two of them. Then she realized what was so funny. Hiccup had come down to get medicines. There was a note on the bed they'd obviously slept in before the pillow mishap and she could make out Hiccup's handwriting from where she was standing.

"Oh my gods. He must think we're insane!" She cried, mortified.

Heather burst out laughing, unable to contain it anymore. She fell against the wall and slid down, laughing too hard to remain standing. Astrid shook her head at her obviously crazy girlfriend and went to the note. "Ladies." She read aloud. "I'm not even going to ask how it happened, but the pillow didn't deserve to die. And please get your knives out of the wall after you pluck the bedroom. I'll let everyone know you're going to be late. Try not to break anything else. With love, from Hiccup." She shook her head at the last. "Goofy nerd." She whispered fondly.

Heather was still howling with laughter and Astrid couldn't help but to smile. The situation was rather hilarious now that she wasn't embarrassed about it. Heather finally managed to take a few deep breaths and she wiped tears from her eyes. "Oh, I can just picture his face when he walked down here! Gods, how I wish I'd seen it!"

Astrid snickered as an image of a confounded Hiccup came to her mind. "Me too. Definitely would have sealed the deal on this being the best day ever."

Heather stopped snickering and looked up at her. "Better than the day we first kissed?" She pouted.

At that Astrid walked back to her and pulled the ebony rider to her feet. Heather stumbled into the blonde rider's chest with the force of being forcefully pulled to her feet, but didn't have time to complain before Astrid kissed her soundly. Astrid smiled against her lips when Heather's squeak of surprise turned into a soft moan. She held her girlfriend tight for a moment longer before pulling away and feathering kisses along her cheek and up to her ear.

"Caught you." She whispered, nibbling at the lobe.

"Sneaky." Heather laughed softly as she pressed her body tightly to Astrid's and wrapped her arms around the blonde, who was driving her crazy with soft kisses to her neck.

Astrid kissed her again, suddenly and she moaned softly as Astrid let one of her hands come down to cup her ass. The blonde rider pulled away slightly to nip and suck at her lips. She pulled the ebony rider's bottom lip into her mouth and bit down with just a bit of force, relishing in the gasp the action received. She felt her girlfriend begin to tremble as she released it and began to nip and suck her way to the sensitive spot at the junction of her neck and shoulder. She moaned loudly as Astrid focused her attention on that one sensitive spot. Astrid's hand tightened on her ass and Heather's hips jerked forward the tiniest bit as she moaned again. Astrid released her neck and kissed her. She growled softly as Heather gave herself to the kiss with abandon and she melded them together at the mouth.

Knowing they should stop now before they forgot everything but each other, Astrid slowly softened the intense kiss, letting it end with a soft brush of lips as her hands moved back up into safer territory. Heather, however, had other plans and she surprised the blonde by suddenly ducking her head to Astrid's neck and biting her softly at the junction of her neck and shoulder. Astrid hissed in pleasure as her girlfriend sucked the flesh sharply between her teeth, her head falling to the side. Her hands fisted in the back of Heathers shirt and she couldn't contain a moan of pleasure as the ebony rider continued her actions, by nipping up her neck to her ear.

"I don't want to stop." She breathed, kissing it softly.

Astrid tried to form a response, but Heather's lips were on hers again and she lost all thought but kissing her back. A few minutes later Heather pulled back and nibbled Astrid lips softly, before smiling at her. Astrid took in the look on her face, eyes dark and compelling, hair slightly mussed and lips soft and glistening. She was so beautiful it almost hurt and the heat that had begun pooling in her belly throbbed.

She pulled her into a tight embrace, burying her face in the dark hair behind her ear and breathing deeply, releasing it with a sigh. "I don't want to either." She whispered.

"I hear a `but' coming." Heather teased softly.

Astrid chuckled and pulled away, placing a kiss on her sassy girl's nose. "But we have to get back to the compound at some point today. Hiccup needs his second. Especially with strangers here."

Heather sighed, but didn't lose her smile. "I'm glad your sense of duty is one of the reasons I fell in love with you. You look so sexy when you're taking charge. I'll just have to content myself with staring at you shamelessly and fantasizing until you're done working."

Astrid was shocked. "You . fantasize about me?"

Heather smirked and licked her lips. "It's a hobby of mine."

Astrid blushed hotly, but had to admit she was curious. "Um." Then she shook her head. "No. If I ask now we'll never get done."

The ebony rider laughed. "Come on. The sooner we get done the better. I have a feeling things are going to be very busy for the next few days and I'll be spending some time thinking up some new ones to share when the time is right."

"And I'll remember that and probably be useless for these next few days." Astrid sighed.

Heather laughed again and kissed her quickly, before pulling away. She went to the bed and started shoving feathers into the empty pillowcase. Astrid watched her for a moment, before moving to help.

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X

A few hours later and the tower was back in order. The dishes were more thoroughly cleaned and dried and put away the refuse given to the dragons to eat or discard at their discretion. The tub was emptied and stored after a quick flight to dry it, courtesy of a very helpful Windshear. The dirty clothes and furs were stored in one of Stormfly's saddlebags along with the ruptured pillow of feathers. The floor was swept, rugs beaten and fireplaces cleaned. All the covers were stored and the furniture was back in its proper place. Besides the knife marks in the wall, the tower looked even better than it had before their extended stay, being in a state of constant disorganization from all of the rider's nightly visits.

Astrid was extremely proud of their work, but now she felt absolutely filthy herself. She didn't want to meet the strangers covered in sweat and dirt. Heather didn't look much better herself and so Astrid decided taking a little more time to bathe before meeting everyone wouldn't hurt.

"I say we sneak into my hut and grab me some fresh gear and clean ourselves up before we meet everyone." She said as she went to mount Stormfly.

Heather, already astride Windshear, sent her a grateful look. "You read my mind."

Astrid grinned at her. "Want to head to the pools and wait for me?"

Heather smiled back. "Be quick then."

"As I've ever been." The blonde promised, before signaling her Nadder.

Stormfly chirped before leaping off the balcony and letting the current of her fall lift her into the air with little effort. "Be sneaky, girl. I want in and out before anyone knows we're there. Just like we practiced."

The Nadder gave a toothy grin and shot off in the direction of the compound. Astrid guided her low and within a few minutes she was leaping down into her roof. She lifted the special hatch door she'd installed just for times like this and dropped into her hut to retrieve fresh clothes and a lump of her favorite soaps along with few furs for them to towel off with and some oil and a cleaning brush for Stormfly. She threw everything in a small pack and, with an acrobatic maneuver, she kicked off of a support beam to grasp a ceiling beam with her hands and swung herself back up onto her roof. Stormfly made another quick pass and Astrid kicked the hatch shut and leapt off of the roof onto her dragon's back. All in all, she been there a little less than a minute.

"Good job, girl." She praised the Nadder and she secured the small pack. As an afterthought, she loosened the straps to the other bags and they fell neatly onto her balcony as they swooped up into the air. "Now let's go get clean. The Nadder crooned happily as she took off towards the pools.

(A/N: I didn't want to break the chapter further in so I'm saying it now. HEAVY SMUT TO FOLLOW! If you don't like, please consider this the end of the chapter. Thanks and love!)

As they landed next to the secluded, stream fed pools, Astrid saw that Heather had already entered the water. "You couldn't wait?" She called and she dismounted and began taking off Stormfly's saddle.

"Why would I?" The ebony rider called back as she swam closer to the shore of the small pool. "Now I get to watch you undress."

Astrid blushed crimson and her fingers fumbled the final knot. The Nadder shook herself impatiently and the saddle and straps fell to the ground. Without waiting, the Nader took a flying leap into the pool, sending a wave of water over the banks that left Heather sputtering as it washed over her head.

Astrid laughed long and hard at the surprised look on her face and felt her embarrassment leave her. She reached down to pick up the pack and threw the lump of soap into the water near enough to Heather to splash her again. Heather glared at her indignantly. "Just you wait." She snapped, placing the soap on the shore so it wouldn't dissolve.

Astrid smirked and stripped, before running and splashing into the water to take her still scowling girlfriend into her arms. "Maybe I don't want to wait." She growled.

Before Heather could respond, Astrid kissed her soundly, before pulling away and simply holding her close. I was quite a different sensation, holding her like this, with no clothes between them. It suddenly struck her that this was the first time they'd been fully naked around each other since they'd become girlfriends. Her earlier embarrassment came back with a vengeance and she could feel herself blushing.

Heather must have sensed the change in mood, because she pulled back and looked at her strangely. Seeing the embarrassed look on the blonde's face, her own expression softened and she cupped Astrid's cheek lightly. "What's wrong?" She asked softly.

Astrid looked away. "I'm being silly."

The ebony rider squeezed her chin softly, prompting her to glance back. "Tell me."

Astrid sighed. "I just realized this is the first time we've bathed together since we got together and I felt a little self-conscious for a second, ok?" She said quickly, still not meeting Heather's eyes.

The ebony rider smiled softly and leaned in to give her a soft kiss. "It's ok. Never be afraid to tell me how you feel."

Astrid finally looked at her. "Even if it's silly?"

Heather reached up and tapped her nose with the tip of her finger. "Your feelings are never silly, Astrid."

Astrid smiled brightly at her. "Ok."

Stormfly, at this point, decided she had rinsed enough and chirped authoritatively at her rider. Astrid looked over at her dragon who had retrieved the cleaning brush from the pack. She laughed at the demanding dragon.

"Hold on. I think someone has decided she wants my undivided attention for a few minutes."

Heather chuckled. "Windshear could use a good scrubbing too." The sentence was punctuated by an eager sound from the Razorwhip.

The riders kissed softly again before pulling apart and going to tend to their dragons. Astrid spent the better part of half an hour scrubbing the Nadder, making sure to pay attention to the slightly flaky patches of skin that were especially itchy given the dragon's reaction. She got out of the water to retrieve the oil and Stormfly submerged herself fully once more before joining her and shaking most of the water off, sending sheets of it flying in all directions. Heather laughed from where she was tending to Windshear and Astrid shook her head at the energetic Nadder's actions, before dipping out a little of the lightly scented oil and beginning to apply it.

When the Nadder was fully oiled and practically shining, Astrid was sweaty and grimy all over again. She glanced over to see that Heather had finished polishing Windshear and was now laid out, absorbing the sun. Astrid swallowed as her mouth went dry at the sight. All of her looked so soft and smooth and her skin practically glowed in the light of the late sun. Her breasts were full and her nipples were dark and pert. Her dark hair was fanned around her shoulders and shining, giving perfect contrast to her lightly tanned skin. Lighter scars could been seen here and there, but they only made her more perfect, strong and her muscles were clearly shown. The life of war she had lived was evident and Astrid loved it. She didn't know how long she'd been standing there staring before she realized that Heather was staring back. The ebony rider's eyes were dark and her face and neck were lightly flushed. Her lips parted and she licked them gently when their eyes met.

Astrid smiled and moved towards the water, beckoning the other rider to join her. All she wanted to do at this moment was hold her girlfriend close, but she wanted to be clean before she did so. Silently, they bathed each other, touches straying into places both familiar and foreign, lingering on hips and sides and collarbones as they spread the soap. Astrid gently touched the top of Heather's soapy breast lightly and paused, looking askance. The ebony rider kissed her softly in answer and Astrid cupped it fully for the first time. Her other hand came to the other breast and she held them for a moment, feeling their weight and softness. Her thumb accidentally brushed over a nipple and Heather gasped softly. Astrid felt it harden under her thumb and she brushed it again, more firmly. Heather made a soft sound in the back of her throat as she continued to do so, her other thumb moving over the other as well. After a few moments Heather began to tremble.

Astrid bit her lip at the look on her face and took one between her thumb and forefinger and squeezed it softly. Heather's eyes shot open with a gasp and Astrid leaned down slightly to kiss her, taking advantage of her slightly parted lips to immediately deepen it. Heather clung to her as Astrid toyed with her nipples more firmly, making small sounds that made Astrid want to coax even more from her. She pulled away from the kiss and veered sideways, focusing on the spot on her girl's neck that she knew drove her wild. Heather arched into her, her head falling back and to the side, moaning. Astrid growled softly as she felt Heather's fingernails in her back and her body responded to the pleasurable pain. She pulled back and captured the ebony rider's lips in a searing kiss. Heather met her intensity with her own. As they moved together, one of Astrid's legs slipped between Heather's and the sudden and intense heat from her womanhood made her hiss in pleasure. Heather moaned loudly as Astrid moved her thigh purposefully higher and felt a moisture that had nothing to do with the water they were standing in.

"Astrid!" Heather said her name in a near whisper as she moved against her burying her face in the blonde's neck.

Astrid let go of her breasts, wanting to feel more of her girl's sweet heat. One arm wrapped around her as the other slipped down her waist and under the surface of the water. For a moment, she hesitated, hand resting just below Heather's bellybutton. This was so sudden, more than she'd planned and she wasn't sure if she'd do it right. Heather, sensing her fear, pulled back and kissed her softly.

"Please." She whispered softly. "I want you."

At her words, all of Astrid's fears melted away. Her hand moved down further until she was cupping Heather's flower with her hand. The contrast of the cool water and the warm wetness there made her tremble and she kissed the ebony rider as she made a small sound. After a moment, Astrid began moving her hand, fingers softly tracing the ebony rider's lower lips. Slowly, she dipped one finger between them and traced it up and down.

Heather's hips jerked and she gasped when Astrid's finger brushed over her clit. Astrid circled it slowly and softly, enjoying making her tremble and gasp. Heather moaned as her movements grew firmer and she clung tightly, fingers tugging hair and clenching into her shoulder. Astrid kissed her again, fingers moving faster as another joined the first. Heather's hips moved against her and her moans got louder and louder with each moment.

"Inside me!" She whispered desperately. "Please!"

Astrid hesitated only a moment, before moving one finger down to her opening. As wet as her girl was, her finger slipped easily inside and she gasped as the digit was surrounded in wet heat even more intense. Heather's inner walls tightened as she began to move. As her finger brushed one spot inside her, Heather moaned louder than ever and her whole body jerked. Astrid focused her attention on this one spot and a second finger joined the first. She hooked them slightly, making sure to firmly caress that one spot as her fingers moved in and out. Heather writhed in her arms, throwing her head back as her hips moved to meet the blonde's thrusts.

Astrid watched her hungrily, never slowing as Heather's inner walls suddenly contacted, squeezing around her fingers and her entire body shook. A soft cry escaped her lips and she trembled. Astrid felt her own body respond to Heather's release and she kept going, wanting to feel more. Heather clung to her, crying out as Astrid drove her over the edge again, the second release following the first so swiftly it was nearly one giant wave of ecstasy.

Finally, Astrid slowed her fingers, slowly bringing Heather down from the pleasure. Her fingers stilled and the blonde held her tightly as both of them caught their breath. Astrid slowly withdrew her fingers and Heather shuddered, before kissing her soundly.

As they parted, Heather laughed shakily. "That was incredible." She whispered. Astrid could only nod. Her own body was still on fire, but she had very much enjoyed giving Heather pleasure. Heather kissed her again. "Come on. Let's finish and get out. It's getting chilly.

"Ok." Was all Astrid could say as Heather grabbed the soap again and they finished bathing.

They got out and Astrid bent over to retrieve the furs for them to dry off with from her pack. They dried off quickly. The sun was setting as Astrid finished and reached for her clothes. Suddenly, Heather pushed her and the surprised blonde fell into the soft grass, unable to catch herself. She rolled over and propped herself on her elbows, glaring at her girlfriend. "What was tha-" Her indignant question was cut off as Heather dropped to her knees on the grass beside her and cupped her chin, pulling her into a kiss.

She pulled back and chuckled at the surprised look on Astrid's face as she straddled her. "You didn't think I was going to leave you unsatisfied, did you?" She asked softly, hands coming up to cup the blonde's breasts softly as she leaned in for another kiss.

Astrid kissed her back and let Heather push her to the ground. She gasped as the ebony girl's thumbs brushed over her nipples firmly. Her already sensitive body responded immediately to her girlfriend's touch and she gasped softly as Heather played with her nipples, teasing them into erect nubs. Her eyes closed as she felt Heather kiss her neck softly, nipping and sucking down to the bundle of nerves where her neck met her shoulder. Pleasure rolled up her spine as the ebony girl sucked the flesh in between her teeth sharply and her fingers, plucked and pinched at her nipples. Her hips rolled upwards into Heather's above her and shivered when the other rider gasped and released her neck with a sharp pull.

"None of that." Heather ordered, moving further down and completely surprising the blonde by taking one of her nipples into her mouth.

Astrid's back arched and she moaned as Heather sucked softly. Her hands fisted in dark tresses as Heather increased the suction before releasing it with a soft pop. She ran her tongue around it and then flicked it softly and Astrid trembled at the sensation. Heater switched nipples and gave the other the same attention and Astrid mewled and shuddered as the sensations overwhelmed her. She was so distracted, she didn't notice Heathers hand moving down until it was cupping her womanhood. Her head rolled back and she moaned as the ebony rider's finger slipped between her lips and found that bundle of nerves.

Heathers fingers traced circles around it softy, barely touching, driving her wild. Just as she thought she'd go crazy from wanting stronger sensations, Heather's finger firmly brushed her clit and her hips jerked as she began flicking it back and forth. One of the blonde's hands left the ebony hair to fist in the grass at her side as her pleasure mounted. She couldn't hear the soft cries she was uttering as Heather's movements quickened and grew firmer. Her head arched back as the ebony rider slowly moved her fingers down to trace her opening.

Astrid tensed for a moment, as she felt her start to push a finger inside, but relaxed as her girlfriend's thumb continued to play over her clit. She moaned loudly as Heather started to thrust, gently at first, then more powerfully. She couldn't stop her hips as Heather added a second finger and found that spot inside her that sent fire racing though her body. She cried out as the pleasure grew and grew, her body winding tighter and tighter with each thrust until something inside her burst and a wave of ecstasy rolled over her. A wordless shout was torn from her lips as Heather pushed her more, drawing her pleasure even higher and she lost control of her body completely under the onslaught of it.

After what could have been seconds or hours later, the ebony rider slowed her fingers and Astrid collapsed into a boneless mass on the ground, breathing heavily. She felt Heather move to lay beside her and she gathered her strength enough to pull her girlfriend close. They lay together silently as Astrid tried to remember how to breathe.

"That was amazing." She finally managed, her voice shaky.

Heather giggled and kissed her cheek. "I'm glad."

Suddenly, Astrid realized it was nearly pitch dark. "We are so late." She whispered.

Heather laughed and propped herself on one elbow to give her a sound kiss. "I don't care."

As they kissed again, Astrid couldn't really find it in her to care either.

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X

Whew. Longest chapter yet. I am quite happy with it. Thoughts? 


	7. Chapter 7

A Dragon Rider's Heart

Chapter 7

A/N: Wow. I'm so happy with the positive response the last chapter received. Thank you all so much for your responses. Hopefully now that things have calmed down I can get back to daily or at least bi-daily updates.

Anyway! One with the fic!

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X

Astrid signaled Stormfly to hover as she and Heather reached the compound. She was astounded at what she saw. There were more people than she could ever remember on the edge all bustling around. At least twenty men were carrying tables and benches and arranging them with Snotlout and Fishlegs The twins were hanging lanterns above the seating with the help of Barf and Belch. Hiccup stood with Stoick himself, Gobber and Gothi along with a dark haired man she didn't recognize, all in a heated discussion. Gothi's staff was working overtime in the small sandbox Hiccup kept for her visits and occasionally she'd smack Gobber into the correct interpretation.

"Holy snapdragon." Astrid muttered.

Heather whistled lowly from beside her on Windshear. "There are a lot more people here than I'd thought."

Astrid nodded. "Come on. Let's let Hiccup know we're back and see what's up."

She signaled Stormfly to land near the group of leaders, Heather right behind her and they dismounted quickly to approach the meeting. Hiccup looked up to give them a relieved smile. "Glad you finally made it."

Astrid smiled wanly back. "Sorry. It took longer than I expected."

The strange man laughed. "I see that dragon looks a sight better than the last I saw her." He commented, gesturing to Stormfly.

Astrid blushed. "She needed tending. That's what took so long."

The man laughed again. "Not to worry, lass. I expect my men to tend their ships before coming home and they don't live and breathe! That's a fine Nadder and a fine keeper if her looks are any indication."

Hiccup chuckled. "Like I said, Astrid always tends to her dragon first. Even at the exclusion of herself sometimes. This is the longest they've been apart for a good while. I'd've been surprised if she hadn't taken time for her first."

Astrid shared a quick embarrassed look with Heather. Stoick walked over and clapped a hand on the ebony rider's shoulder roughly. "Heather! It's been ages, lass. How have you been keeping yourself?"

Heather smiled warmly at the large Viking chief. "Pretty well all things considered. Windshear keeps me safe."

Stoick laughed. "Aye. I'll bet. I hear she put up quite the commotion during the storm."

The others laughed as she blushed. "If the others hadn't been here to warn us before we'd seen her, we'd have thought we'd come across an island of mad dragons." The strange man added.

Heather winced and sent a look back at the Razorwhip. "She wasn't too bad, I hope?"

Hiccup shook his head. "Nothing we couldn't handle."

"No dragon outdoes the Dragonmaster." Gobber piped in.

Hiccup shook his head. Astrid knew he wasn't entirely comfortable being called a `master' anything, but the title was being used more and more so he'd stopped fighting it. Just then a red headed young girl about their age and a reedy blond Viking approached the meeting. She wore a simple garb and her right arm was in a cast. "Right! So. Introductions. Heather. Astrid. This is Calder the Steadfast, Captain of the Breezegift and Chief of Blind Water Vikings." Astrid and Heather both bobbed their heads at the large man. "And this is Dustin the Coarse, second in command and first mate and Kari, daughter of the chief and captain." They all exchanged greetings.

"The food is ready whenever you decide it's time to eat." Kari said softly.

"That's good to hear." Hiccup said gratefully. "Should we continue after the meal?" He asked the elders respectfully. Gothi nodded and Stoick and Calder both agreed heartily. "Ok. Astrid? A word before we eat?" Hiccup asked, turning to her as the others left.

Astrid looked at Heather, who smiled and shooed her. Astrid grinned back and followed Hiccup into his hut. She started apologizing the moment she shut the door behind her. "I'm really sorry it took us so long to get Hiccup. I really didn't think it would -"

"Astrid. Astrid." Hiccup cut her off. "I'm not mad."

Astrid blinked. "You're not?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I told you to take your time, didn't I?" He waited for her to nod before he continued. "No. What I wanted to talk to you about was this." He said, turning to his table and gesturing at some papers spread there.

She came to look and saw some detailed drawings of islands they'd never been to before and notes in unfamiliar handwriting. There were also a few drawings of dragons that she'd never seen before. "What's this?"

Hiccup smiled at her. "Kari gave them to me. They're pictures of islands near theirs and the dragons that live there. New species, Astrid!" He said excitedly. "Just think of how much there is to learn! I mean, look at that one." He said, gesturing to a drawing of a dragon that looked more like a butterfly. From the measurements it was about the size of one, maybe a tad larger. Another below it had long horns on the back of its head. "They call them Flutterfires. And here is a Marsh Tiger." He said, gesturing to a striped dragon with webbed feet and prominent nostrils. "There are dozens of new species." He said, spreading a few more papers. "She says she hasn't had a chance to document them all. And the best thing is, most of them aren't predisposed to be aggressive towards people. There have been only a few species that have caused trouble, but the rest get left alone and have been for generations. Kari even says that some of them have been known to help Vikings in need. This could open up a whole new world to understanding dragons."

Astrid watched him speak, hands gesturing wildly and face glowing with enthusiasm. If there was any doubt to Hiccup's passion about anything and everything dragon, one only needed to listen to him speak about it. He was forever in pursuit of new knowledge to add to his already impressive repertoire on the subject. She smiled warmly as he mentioned expeditions and trade routes between the new Vikings and talking with Kari about the new species and habitats.

A knock at the door interrupted his passionate speech and Astrid moved to get it. She opened it to find Kari herself outside. Astrid smiled at the girl and moved aside, gesturing for her to come in. "We were just talking about you."

The redhead blushed. "The new species?" She asked as she entered.

Astrid laughed. "Yep."

Kari rolled her eyes at a now sheepish Hiccup. "I understand you are passionate about the subject but our fathers sent me to find you. The host is absent from his own feast." She scolded.

Astrid was amused as Hiccup flinched. "I know, I'm coming. I just wanted to let Astrid see your work. You really have some very good documentation skills and your depictions are astounding. How can I not want to show them to my second?"

Kari blushed under the praise, but shook a finger at him angrily. "Don't give me that. I've only known you for a few days and I already know it's far more the subject you're interested in than the work itself."

Astrid laughed at that and Hiccup sent her a mock glare. "Now that's not entirely true. I have your notes on the plant and animal life here too."

"And all of them pertain to the dragon's association with them."

As she continued to fuss Astrid found herself very entertained and impressed at Kari. The girl had Hiccup down to a `t' and it was extremely refreshing to see someone else fuss at him for neglecting everything but his research. She had to admit Kari was better at this dressing down than she was herself, but couldn't find it in her to feel competitive about it.

Finally, Hiccup threw his hands up in defeat. "Ok, ok. I'm obsessed."

Kari folded her arms triumphantly. "And?"

Hiccup sighed. "And I promise to lay off a little for the next few days."

Kari rose an eyebrow. "And?"

"And I promise to eat what you and the others prepare while it's still warm and delicious?"

Kari nodded and grinned. "Good."

Astrid clapped and both of them jumped, obviously having forgotten she was there. "That was spectacular. Ten out of ten for Kari." She praised. The redhead blushed and Hiccup muttered something unintelligible under his breath. Astrid laughed again and headed for the door. "I'm going to eat. You two come along when you're ready."

"Astrid!" Hiccup groaned as she left.

The blonde rider chuckled as she jogged towards the activities to look for Heather. After a moment of searching she found her seated at a table surrounded by her friends and teammates. Snotlout was saying something that was on the verge of getting him punched, if the expression on her girlfriend's face was any indication. Astrid sighed as Heather finally snapped and the robust Viking was sent sprawling to the ground.

"Leave it to Snotlout." She said to the amusement of the Vikings around her as she approached. She pushed Snotlout's plate aside and took a seat next to her girlfriend. "Miss me?" She asked as she reach to grab a leg of chicken from a platter at the center of the table.

Heather rolled her eyes and retrieved a plate for her and began heaping potatoes and vegetables on it. "Shut up and eat." She grumbled. Setting the plate in front of her.

Snotlout recovered himself and came to sit beside Astrid. "Hey there, babe."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Hi, Snotlout."

Before he could get her annoyed at him as well, Fishlegs cut in. "Did Hiccup show you Kari's work on the new dragons?" He asked her.

"New dragons?" Heather asked.

"Yeah. "She answered both of them. "That's what Hiccup wanted to talk to me about. Apparently, where Kari lives there are dozens of species of dragons that we've never seen before. She's got some pretty good notes on them. Hiccup has them all in his hut and, from the sound of it, he's been pouring over it almost nonstop. Kari gave him quite the dressing down about it." She added with a chuckle, glancing up to see the two of them join the table Stoick and Calder were seated at.

Heather rose an eyebrow. "Really now?"

"Really, really. It was fun to watch."

"Hmmm." Heather hummed, a contemplative look on her face.

"Did you see the Flutterfires?" Fishlegs cut in again, obviously too excited to contain his enthusiasm.

Astrid nodded at him. "They were cute. I really can't wait to see them firsthand."

Fishlegs squealed and clapped, bouncing in his seat. "I know! I can't wait to see what other kinds are there. It's going to be great seeing it all. A new place, new dragons. I can't wait!"

"I hope there are more explosive dragons!" Tuffnut cut it.

"Or more like the Fireworms!" Ruffnut agreed.

"Only bigger." Ruff commented.

"And badder." Tuff supplied.

"And more capable of chaos than anything we've ever seen!" Ruff yelled.

"A dragon after the heart of Loki himself!" Tuff rose her voice to match her brother's

"It'll be awesome!" They said together, far off, happy looks on their faces as they no doubt imagined the mayhem that would come from such a meeting.

Astrid shook her head in amusement at the two of them.

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X

Sorry, for not having more smut in this chapter, but there are quite a few things that need to be covered before the girls get some more alone time. Just bear with me, we've got a lot of ground to cover. Ja ne! 


	8. Chapter 8

A Dragon Rider's Heart

Chapter 8

A/N: Hope you're all having a wonderful 4th my lovely readers. Here is an extra-long pressy chap for the holiday. SMUUUUUUUUUT WAAAAAARNIIIIING! Just saying. Carry on.

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0

The next morning, the sun rose far sooner than Astrid would have liked. The festivities lasted until well into the night and copious amounts of mead and food were consumed between the men, women and riders. Then they'd danced and sung themselves hoarse. Astrid wasn't even sure what time it was that she and Heather had drug themselves into her hut to collapse, fully clothed, onto her bed, but she was certain she hadn't had enough sleep. She almost considered just rolling over and going back to sleep for another hour, but voices from outside let her know that sleeping in wouldn't be an option. There was far too much to do for her to laze around.

She sighed and began to carefully extract herself from Heather. The ebony rider grumbled in her sleep and tightened her hold on Astrid, snuggling more forcefully into her side. Astrid stifled a chuckle at the adorable action and reached down to unhook her girlfriend's fingers from her shirt.

Heather groaned and woke when she finally managed to do so and was slipping out of the bed. "Where are you going?" She asked blearily.

Astrid reached out and cupped her face. "To go see what needs to be done."

Heather groaned and reached out for her and pulled her back down. Astrid fell halfway onto the bed and the ebony rider immediately moved to wrap her arms and legs around her. "Sleep more. Do things later."

Astrid chuckled. "You know I can't do that, love."

Heather sighed and squeezed her tighter for a moment before giving in and releasing her. "Ok, ok. I'm up."

Astrid rolled onto her side and propped herself on an elbow so she could look at her. "You can sleep longer. I'm not trying to make you get up."

Heather smiled tiredly at her. "No, you're right. There is a lot to do. So I should be up helping you do what needs done."

Astrid smiled back and leaned in to give her a soft kiss. "Good morning then." She whispered as she pulled away.

Heather grasped the back of her head and pulled her down for a more thorough kiss. Rather than fight it, Astrid gave in and kissed her like she'd wanted to last night while they'd been dancing. They moved together, hands roaming over breasts and buttocks and Astrid suddenly wished they'd managed to undress last night. She wanted to feel Heather against her, skin to skin.

A loud crash and a few shouts from outside broke them moment and Heather sighed. "I want another storm and to be trapped somewhere with you again so that I can have a few days to enjoy your body." She said unabashedly as she moved her thigh between Astrid's and pressed upwards to put pressure on her core.

The blonde Viking gasped and her hips gave a little jerk. Heather rolled on top of her and kissed her passionately again. Astrid clung to her as one of the ebony rider's hands came up to cup her breast, toying with her nipple through her clothes. She moaned helplessly into her lover's mouth as Heather moved against her. Fire was racing through her veins and her womanhood throbbed for attention. She could feel herself grow wetter with each movement Heather made and wanted nothing more than to continue, but voices from outside reminded her there were things to do. And if she could hear them, they would hear her.

Mustering all the willpower she had, she suddenly turned her head to the side. "Oh, gods. Heather!" She whispered desperately as the ebony rider bit her neck. "We have to stop!"

"No." Heather growled, undoing the tie of Astrid's pants with her free hand. "I want to feel you come undone one more time before I have to keep my hands to myself."

Astrid moaned sharply as Heather's fingers found her dripping center and she bit her lip to stifle her cries as those skilled fingers found her clit and began flicking it mercilessly. Astrid clung to her as her pleasure mounted higher and higher, burying her face into Heather's neck. Heather gasped when the blonde bit her suddenly and she hooked her fingers down and entered her with one smooth thrust. Astrid jerked at the sudden intrusion, but as Heather fingers began to move, in and out, building speed and force with each motion, fingertips curled to firmly caress that inner sweet spot, her legs opened wider of their own accord and her hips began rising and falling to meet her. Her head fell back against the mattress and she fought herself not to cry out. She was panting, whimpering as Heather drove her closer and closer to the edge. She tried desperately to hold back, to keep control, but one final thrust and a flick of thumb to her clit sent her flying. She lost the battle against her voice and only a sudden kiss muffled her cries as her orgasm washed over her.

Slowly, she became aware of her surroundings again. Heather's fingers were still inside her, stroking her gently as she feathered kisses all over her face. Astrid lay there trembling as Heather gave her a soft, but thorough kiss. Slowly, the ebony rider removed her fingers and Astrid shuddered as it triggered an aftershock of pleasure. She heard a sucking sound and opened her eyes to see Heather cleaning her fingers with her mouth, blue eyes staring into her own.

"Oh, gods." She choked out as she felt desire course through her again at the sight.

Heather released her fingers with a pop. "Delicious." She purred, leaning down for another kiss. Astrid could taste herself as their tongues moved together. It was odd, yet arousing and it made her wonder what Heather would taste like. She was still dazed as Heather ended the kiss and propped herself up to look down at her. "Good morning, by the way." She teased.

Astrid blushed, but smiled. "Fantastic morning, you mean."

Heather giggled. "Most certainly. Now. Let's get today over with. The sooner we get started, the sooner I can hold you again." She commented, rolling to the side so she could get up.

Astrid reached out for her hand. "Wait. Don't you want me to.?" She trailed off, blush deepening.

Heather smirked. "Yes." She squeezed her fingers. "But not now. I'd rather wait until we have more time. Besides." Her smirk widened. "I'm not through with you yet, Miss Hofferson."

Astrid swallowed against the sudden dryness of her mouth. Heather laughed at the look on her face and pulled her from the bed. Astrid found her legs were still a bit shaky as she quickly cleaned herself up and retied her pants, Heather watching her hungrily the whole time.

"Stop it." She growled suddenly.

Heather tiled her head to the side in confusion. "Stop what?"

"Looking at me like that. It makes me want to say the hell with the repairs and drag you off on Stormfly."

Heather licked her lips, eyes darkening. "I actually have no motivation to stop now."

Astrid strode to her, grasped her shoulders and shook her gently. "Behave." She scolded softly.

Heather gave an exaggerated sigh. "I'll try. That's all I can promise."

Astrid scowled. "Meaning you won't."

Heather giggled and kissed her nose. "I will, I promise. You just make it too easy, love."

Astrid growled, but couldn't really be mad. "You make me crazy sometimes."

Heather sobered and leaned in to nip at her lips. "I plan on making you even crazier."

Astrid couldn't resist kissing her, the words sending a spark of desire to her core. She pulled back after a moment and rested their foreheads together. She made a sudden, spontaneous decision. "I'm requesting a watch at one of the towers tonight if I get the chance."

Heather beamed. "That would be wonderful."

Astrid kissed her again and then forced herself to pull away. "Come on. Let's get today done."

"Right behind you."

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0

Astrid found Hiccup without too much difficulty and he informed her that today they'd be mostly focusing on repairing the buildings from the damage they'd received. He'd sent Fishlegs out to locate a few trees of the appropriate size and type to help the Blind Water Vikings repair their ship, which had come off a little worse for wear during the rough landing. Kari, who was with him, told her that all they riders had to do was find the trees and they'd do the rest. The blonde left them arguing playfully about the division of labor.

The rest of the day was spent in a blur of activity as she and her team, along with the helpful shipwrecked Vikings, checked every single building for damage and gathered the necessary supplies to get stated. Finally, a halt was called for a midday meal. Having skipped breakfast, she was ravenous and she dug in with a gusto to the light meal provided by the Blind Water's women. She felt a tad guilty for making the besieged Vikings help with the labor and mentioned it, but Dustin, Calder's reedy, blond second, waved off her concerns.

"If you lot weren't her to help us, we might not have made off as well as we did from the storm. Besides, you're providing the food we prepare and the lumber we need to fix our ship as well as warm places to sleep for all of us. Not to mention the potential trade between our brethren." He laughed. "No, lass, don't you worry that we're doing too much. I'd say we aren't doing enough."

And he wouldn't hear another word on the subject. They all got back to work and made fairly good progress, continuing well after the sun had set by light of fire and dragon. A call went out that food was again ready and all of them gratefully sat to rest and eat. Astrid was exhausted at this point, but happy as they'd gotten more done in one day than her wildest expectations could have imagined. She made a mental note to ask Hiccup and Stoick if there was any sort of reward they could whip up for them the next time they spoke alone as she wearily looked around for her girlfriend.

Finally, she spotted her talking to Kari and Hiccup and she made her way to them. "-would love it if you came to visit, of course. She would be thrilled to meet all of you." Kari was saying. She smiled at Astrid as she reached them.

"Who wants to meet us?"

"Her mother." Hiccup supplied as Heather fixed her a plate of fish and fried potatoes.

Kari nodded. "Mother loves meeting new people. She was sick when we set of for Inger's wedding or she'd have been with us."

"Her mother also loves dragons and is the one who convinced Calder to let her study them so extensively."

"Yes. Father was against the idea. Just because they didn't give us trouble, didn't mean he had to trust them, he said. I had to sneak around for over a year before mother talked sense into him." She said fondly.

Astrid swallowed a mouthful of food. "Sounds like a woman I'd like to meet." She had a sudden thought. "You know, we should get you a dragon of your own."

Hiccup smiled broadly. "That is a fantastic idea!" He said enthusiastically.

Kari looked uncertain. "I'm not sure father would agree to that."

"He won't have a choice after you bond with your dragon." Heather supplied. "Nothing can break the bond between a rider and her dragon."

"Exactly." Hiccup nodded. "We can train you up and take you out to find a dragon near your home when we come to visit."

"Would it really work?" She asked wonderingly.

"Of course it will." Astrid told her. "And if it seems to be going south, we'll just make it happen." She grinned confidently. All of them laughed and Astrid caught herself staring at Heather as her face lit up. She had a sudden urge to kiss her and remembered what she'd promised that morning. "Oh, by the way. Hiccup?"

"Yes?"

"I feel like getting away for another night. Is there a tower shift open by any chance?"

He thought about it. "Actually, Fishlegs asked me earlier if he could switch with someone at the Western tower. But are you sure? I mean, you've been working all day."

"How about I go with her?" Heather asked with a sly smile. "If one of us gets too tired we can just take turns."

He thought about it for a moment. "Sounds good to me." Then he glanced up at the sky. "And there isn't a storm cloud in sight so all good there." He joked.

The two of them laughed and Astrid glanced at her half empty plate, then up at Heather, who had yet to look away from her. "Well. If it's all the same to you, I think we should go on and head out."

Hiccup nodded. "I'll let Fishlegs know he's free tonight."

"Thanks." She smiled and stood. "Ready?" She asked Heather.

The ebony rider chuckled. "Let's go." They playfully swatted at each other as they raced to a clear area to call their dragons.

"Have a good night!" Kari called after them.

Heather smirked as they ran. "Oh, we will." She whispered, giving Astrid a predatory glance.

Astrid shivered in anticipation and whistled for Stormfly. Heather untied the horn at her wait and signaled Windshear. The dragons landed shortly and, seeming to sense the urgency of their riders, pushed themselves to the limit, reaching the forest tower in record time.

"Good girl." Astrid praised the Nadder as she dismounted. "Stay close and keep watch." She told her dragon as she went for the door. Heather patted Windshear one more time, before following.

Moonlight bathed the inside of the tower and Astrid only had a moment to be pleased that they wouldn't have to take the time to light a fire, before Heather pulled her into her arms and kissed her soundly. She abandoned herself with a passion, clinging to her ebony lover as they awkwardly made their way into the small sleeping area in the back, without ever once breaking the kiss. Their clothes disappeared in a rush of hands and the moment Astrid's last garment fell to the floor, Heather was back in her arms.

They fell to the mattress in a tangle of arms and legs and lips. Heather's hands came to Astrid's breasts and she lost no time teasing her nipples into erect nubs. Slowly, she kissed and nipped her way down the blonde's neck, stopping to suck strongly at a few sensitive spots, before reaching her collar bone. Here she bit and Astrid's back arched at the pleasure pain of it, before the ebony rider resumed her trip downward. Just as her lips brushed her fingers, still busy flicking and plucking taut nipples, Astrid surprised her by hooking her leg and flipping them over.

She rose up, grasping Heather's hands and pinning them above her head. "I want to please you." She whispered at her lover's confused look.

She leaned down to kiss her for only a moment, before quickly kissing and nipping a path down to her breasts. Heather hissed and tried to free her hands, as Astrid licked a slow circle around one of her nipples. Astrid squeezed her hands tighter and nipped the underside of her breast in admonition, before kissing her way back to the nipple and flicking it gently with her tongue. She teased it with gentle flicks and licks, enjoying her girls gasps and sighs, and felt it harden, before taking it between her lips and sucking softly.

Heather moaned softly as she flicked it with her tongue and she sucked again, stronger this time. She lavished more attention on it and Heather's hands tugged at her own, trying to get free. Astrid switched nipples, sucking it in with a sharp pull and Heather cried out, hips jerking the tiniest bit. Astrid bit it softly and she trembled, mewling and her breathing grew heavier. Astrid felt her wetness against her stomach and had and overpowering urge to finish it, to finally taste her, and followed it, slowly kissing down her lover's body, stopping to dip a tongue into her bellybutton and to nip at her hipbones.

When she finally reached her goal, she stopped and just stared for a moment, staring at the glistening flower before her. Heather's hips clenched and she tried to close them, obviously embarrassed at the scrutiny. Astrid released her hands to push them back apart, growling softly.

"No." She ordered. "I want to see you." She looked up to see Heather panting, watching her with darkened, hungry eyes, skin bleached by the moonlight outside the window and her heart stuck in her throat for a moment at the beautiful sight. "Mine." She whispered, kissing a soft thigh.

"Yours." Heather answered in a gasp as Astrid kissed her lower lips softly.

Astrid breathed deeply of her scent and nuzzled the wet flesh gently, before taking her first taste. She ran her tongue along the soft folds and Heather moaned softly as she sucked gently, before licking a long swipe from her opening to her clit. The ebony rider's hips shivered as Astrid began to tease it gently. She found she quite enjoyed the taste and wanted more. She sucked it into her mouth, rolling it between her lips and tongue and Heather cried out at the action. Astrid watched her face redden and her breathing grow heavier. Her eyes darkened and her skin glistened with a light sheen of sweat. She watched, enthralled, as Heather fought to maintain eye contact, but lost the battle as the blonde rider teased her more firmly, sucking stronger and speeding up her tongue. Her cries grew louder and Astrid had to hold her hips still as they began to thrust into her mouth.

She watched Heather as her hands fisted in the covers beneath her, eyes closed and mouth open, back arched and breasts shaking as her whole body tightened and jerked. Astrid felt a new surge of wetness under her chin and longed for a deeper taste. She indulged, closing her eyes as she thrust her tongue inside the source of the wonderful wetness and Heather's walls contracted sharply around it as she thrust it in and out, just barely reaching that ridge inside her that drove her wild.

"Oh gods." Heather's voice came out in a rush of air. "Don't stop! Please, Astrid!" She cried.

Astrid sped up, trying to push her tongue even deeper with each thrust as Heather's walls began to quake and her thighs began to tremble. Astrid tightened her grip on her hips to keep them still and Heather's eyes shot open, meeting hers for only a moment, before her head went back and she screamed her release as she fell over the edge. Astrid didn't slow, sucking the wetness as it poured over her face and Heather jerked and spasmed.

"Astrid!" Her name was a breathless shout.

Astrid let one of her hands slip over to toy with her Heather's clit, pinching it softly and Heather screamed again as the touch sent her over the edge once more. Astrid wanted more, she didn't want to stop. She wanted to hear more of Heather's sweet voice and taste her sweet nectar. Her fingers swopped quickly down to gather more moisture and she began flicking them over her lover's clit as she continued to thrust and curl her tongue inside her.

Heather was jerking madly, almost coming off the bed, head back, back arched, thighs twitching and Astrid watched it all, her own body responding almost enough to send her over the edge herself as she watched Heather come completely undone.

Finally, Heather fairly collapsed, mewling and twitching. Only then did Astrid relent. Gently, she removed her tongue, making Heather spasm and whimper. Astrid noticed the tears on her cheeks for the first time and moved up to take her trembling love into her arms and hold her tightly.

It was some time, before Heather's breathing finally returned to normal. She was still trembling lightly as she placed a kiss on Astrid's cheek. "Are you ok?" The concerned blonde asked softly, cupping her still damp cheek and looking into her eyes.

Heather gave a shaky laugh. "I'm more than alright." She said shakily. "That was amazing." She took a deep breath and released it with a sigh. "I never thought I could feel so much. That it could be so wonderful. I think I actually cried for a minute there."

Astrid smiled, relieved. "You did. I was afraid I'd done something wrong."

Heather laughed again, louder this time and kissed her. "No. You did absolutely nothing wrong. It was wonderful. You were wonderful." She punctuated the last with another soft kiss.

Astrid leaned into it and the kiss grew slowly, from a show of love to a passionate display. Heather turned slowly over until she was on top of her and Astrid suddenly found herself on her back with Heather over her. "My turn." The ebony rider whispered against her lips as her hands began to toy with her breasts again.

Astrid moaned softly as Heather's lips left hers to kiss their way quickly down to her breasts. The ebony rider lost no time and took one of her nipples between her lips and sucked strongly. Astrid's arousal, which had calmed somewhat, roared back to life in a swift rush that left her panting, hands fisting in Heather's hair as she mercilessly teased her breasts with lips, fingers and tongue. She arched her back, pressing her chest up into the sweet sensations, moaning softly. She felt herself grow wetter than ever and tried to squeeze her thighs together to ease some of the pressure. Heather felt her move and lifted her head to grin predatorily. She lowered her head and began kissing down Astrid's body and the blonde felt her chest tighten with anticipation as she felt Heather slow slid her thighs apart. She looked down as Heather paused and the sight of her there, between her legs, looking at her most intimate place with that hungry look in her eyes, made her breath leave her in a rush. She panted as Heather looked up, meeting her eyes as she slowly lowered her mouth and stuck out her tongue to lake a long slow taste. Astrid jerked slightly biting her lip against a moan at that first touch. Heather licked her a few times, making her gasps and tremble as she lightly dipped her tongue inside the opening before moving back up.

Astrid's head fell back with a sharp cry as Heather found and focused on her clit, sucking it into her mouth and rolling it gently between her teeth. She couldn't stop her cries as pleasure jolted like lightning from where her love was focusing her attentions. Her hands fisted at the tangled covers beneath her as it felt like she had to hold onto something, anything, as she fought not to lose herself entirely to the wonderful sensations. Her hips rolled madly upwards as Heather sucked, hard, lifting her head only to release her with a pop.

Astrid cried out loudly, hips falling back to the mattress, only it have Heather do it again and again, before beginning to tease her once more. Each time it was almost enough to send her over to the edge, she was right there, wavering trembling, but the Heather would stop, letting her calm before starting again and again until Astrid felt tears rolling down her face from sheer frustration. Her body demanded release.

"Please." She finally managed to whimper.

Heather released her momentarily. "Please what?" She asked, before resuming with a flourish.

Astrid cried out and was unable to answer for a moment as Heather brought her so close once again with just a few motions. She felt the ebony riders fingers brush her opening, dipping in just slightly, before retreating once more.

"Please." Astrid cried desperately.

Heather sucked her strongly once more sending a sharp throb of pleasure through her." Tell me what you want, baby." She whispered and Astrid trembled as her hot breath washed over her. Heather's tongue flicked over her again and she felt her fingers poised at her opening, dipping in again in exquisite torture.

"Heather!" She gasped. "Take me!" She finally managed to say, her voice a desperate shout.

"That's what I wanted to hear." Heather murmured.

A moment later, her fingers plunged inside her and her tongue began working, stronger and more firm, twisting tight circles and flicking the small nub as her fingers pushed deep, hitting that sweet spot inside her, curling, caressing and pumping and Astrid screamed as she crashed over the edge. White hot flashes surged beneath her eyelids and she writhed madly as Heather drove her to heights she'd never thought possible. She could no longer feel the mattress beneath her, or hear her desperate cries. Nothing existed but the pleasure surging through her, brought on by her love's lips and tongue and fingers, so deep inside and she lost herself entirely.

When she came down, Heather was holding her tightly, caressing her hair and murmuring nonsense into her ear as she kissed her temple softly, over and over. "I love you." She managed to whisper, after a few tries.

Heather pulled back slightly and kissed her. "I love you too."

The blonde rider smiled happily at her and felt her eyelids droop. Heather reached down and pulled up a thin fur from the tangled mass of bedding to cover them. "Rest now." She whispered. "The dragons will wake us if anything happens."

Astrid couldn't find the strength to even think about arguing before she drifted off, snuggling into her lovers arms.

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X

HAPPY 4TH EVERYONE! Hope you enjoyed! Ja ne! 


	9. Chapter 9

A Dragon Rider's Heart

Chapter 9

A/N: This chap is a little short because I am posting it early so I could say the following:

Last chapter I had a few complaints that I was being `disrespectful' by telling everyone Happy 4th. I didn't think it was disrespectful to post about one of my nation's holidays. I've seen people post Hanukah and Christmas specials and other holiday specials as well so I didn't even know that was a thing.

So, if any of you were offended, besides my lovely first signed in flamers, I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE!

That being said, as I am proud of the country of my birth and celebrate most holidays, I will probably post special chapters on each of them along with a few international holidays that I celebrate as well on this and other stories. So apologies in advance.

I'm also not going to go into the whole gay pride thing again deeply, but I will say it now. I am a LESBIAN. I like to write LESBIAN stories, (though I have written a few straight ones as well). If this offends you, go somewhere else. Thanks and have a wonderful day. :)

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X

Astrid awoke the first rays in the sun, to find Heather wrapped around her in a reversal of their usual sleeping position. It was nice and she snuggled deeper into the warm flesh of her chest. Heather stirred and squeezed her tighter.

"Good morning, love." She whispered, kissing the top of her head softly.

Astrid kissed her shoulder. "Good morning." She whispered back. They lay there for a few minutes longer, before Astrid forced herself to move. She pulled away and kissed her girlfriend soundly. "We should get back."

Heather smiled at her. "The sooner we get finished the sooner I can drag you away for a few days." She quipped

Astrid chuckled and kissed her again before rolling away and sitting up. She reached down and grabbed a handful of their clothes, tossing Heather's to her haphazardly over her shoulder, earning her and indignant cry and smack to the shoulder. Astrid grinned hugely back at her scowling girlfriend and dressed quickly.

"Come on. I'm starved." She urged as Heather dressed.

The ebony rider laughed. "You did abandon your supper last night."

Astrid pulled her in for a kiss. "My appetite wasn't for food last night."

Heather purred happily as they kissed. Her hands came down to grasp Astrid firm rear and she squeezed it. Astrid returned the gesture, grinding their hips together for a moment. She'd almost decided breakfast wasn't so important after all, when her stomach growled loudly.

Heather pulled away with a laugh and took the now blushing blonde's hand. "Come on. Let's get you fed."

Astrid grumbled but allowed herself to be lead outside. Stormfly and Windshear rose and stretched as their riders came out on the balcony. "Did you have a nice rest, girl?" Astrid asked her happy Nadder.

The dragon chirped and nuzzled her before kneeling slightly so she could mount. Heather scratched Windshear's strong eyebrow ridges for a moment longer, before mounting as well and both girls guided their dragons into the air and directed them back to the compound.

People were already up and about when they arrived and Astrid's stomach growled again at the delicious scent of food. She waved at her friends and a few others as she made a beeline for a table and started piling food on a plate before her rear had even reached the bench. Several people around her laughed, but she simply shrugged and began to eat.

Heather joined her a moment later and watched her for a moment, chuckling. "Chew, Astrid." She chided, pouring her a cup of juice.

Astrid rolled her eyes and made a big show of chewing the meat in her mouth. She swallowed and took a big gulp of juice. "Thank you, my dear." She kept eating until she felt practically stuffed and patted her tummy in satisfaction. "Ah. So much better. I feel like I could take on an angry Whispering Death singlehandedly now!"

"Someone's in a good mood!" Hiccup said as he took his seat.

"I let her sleep a little longer towards morning." Heather supplied with a furtive grin. "Where's Kari?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Her dad needed to talk to her about something. I don't think it was serious or anything so she should be along in a bit."

Astrid took another sip of juice. "It's almost strange, seeing you without her now. You two are pretty inseparable."

Hiccup smiled. "She makes for a great conversation, that's for sure. And she has a great head on her shoulders. Her drawing skills are astounding. She drew a few sketches of Toothless for her collection. They're closer to art really. I'd like to frame some of them. Toothless loved them. He really likes her. I think he'll be sad when she leaves." He said, frowning at the thought.

Heather and Astrid shared a contemplative look. For where she was sitting, it looked like Hiccup was going to miss the girl far more than his dragon would. This was an interesting development. She would have to get to know Kari a little better over the next few days. If this was what she thought it was, there were some fun times ahead that was for sure.

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X

Yay. A little romance for Hiccup in the future. So shove it, all you negative folks who thought I was going to leave him high and dry. Ja ne! :D 


	10. Chapter 10

A Dragon Rider's Heart

Chapter 10

A/N: Thank you ever so much for your positive feedback and your defense of this story. It has come to mean a lot more to me than it did. At first, it was just meant to be a cute, meaningless drabble about Heathstrid, to distract me from my failing health, but as I've written and faced adversity to a simple story, it has developed into something more.

So thank you all, flamers and lovers alike, who give me the strength and the muse to write more.

We shall take a journey, my loves. The fun has just begun.

Note: Reading back over Chapter 7 I realize I had written that Kari's arm was in a cast, but it was actually Dustin who was supposed to have the broken arm and that was before I decided to omit it entirely. I'll go back and fix it in the future, so sorry for the confusion.

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X

Astrid looked up at the sun, which was just reaching its zenith and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Three days had passed and all of the repairs to the buildings and fields had been finished and the stores had been supplemented by their family on Berk and by forays and hunting and fishing expeditions out to nearby islands by the riders and Blind Water Vikings. The ship's repairs hadn't gone neglected either. Even now great bows of wood were being stretched and curved to dry into the correct shape all along their tiny shore while others were already being hammered into place. The men and women of the family party who were too weak to partake in the back-breaking work, had stretched out the great sailcloth and had begun to repair it while still more worked tirelessly to provide meals for everyone from the bountiful supplies available.

Astrid approved of their efficiency greatly and even the twins had been pulling their fair share and had kept their playful pranks to a minimum, an unprecedented feat. Stoick, Gobber and Gothi had left two days prior, with promises to visit again before the Blind Water Vikings departed. Astrid knew they would have the little surprise she and the others had thought up for them ready by then.

Thinking of surprises, she frowned. She'd forgotten Heather's surprise completely. Again. Then again, in light of their new relationship, the gem she'd been planning on giving her might be a bit inadequate. Unbeknownst to her girlfriend, she'd been planning on giving it to her anyway when she'd next visited as a friend. Now though, that they were girlfriends and lovers, something a bit more elaborate might be in order. She'd need help modifying it though.

Sighing, she realized there was really only one man for the job. Hiccup. Unfortunately, he was rarely around now. He'd take Kari's request to heart and set aside his research. Now he was off on Toothless at the slightest opportunity, often going out with the hunting and gathering parties. Her plan to get to know Kari was also on hold as she was more often than not astride the Night Fury with him. She decided to check his hut and the temporary longhouse that had been set up for the Blind Water Vikings anyway, on the off chance that they were there.

She turned to Heather, who was lounging beside her in the shade of a tree. "I've got a little something to take care of. That ok?" She asked.

Heather nodded and made herself more comfortable. "Go ahead. I'll be here or at your hut when you get done."

Astrid smiled warmly at her. She cast a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching and leaned in to give her a swift kiss on the cheek, before standing and setting off at a quick jog towards the compound. She reached it in just a few minutes and she was happily surprised to see Toothless just settling down on the balcony of Hiccup's hut. After a quick detour to grab the gem she wanted modified from her hut, she darted up the steps. He'd opened the large doors to allow Toothless inside and she knocked on the large frame.

Hiccup glanced over from recording something in one of his books and saw her. "Come on in, Astrid." He finished writing and turned to her. "What's up?"

She smiled at Kari before turning back to him. "I need your help with something." She told him, withdrawing a small gem from her pocket. It was a beautiful, multicolored gemstone that cast a rainbowed aurora-like shadow where the light touched it.

"It's gorgeous." Kari whispered, awed by the sight.

Hiccup reached for it and Astrid dropped it into his hand. He held it up, examining it. "It really is. What do you need help with?"

"I wanted to know if you can shape it without damaging it."

"Hmm." He contemplated for a moment. "I can do it, but it might take a few days at the least with everything going on. What shape did you want it?" He asked still turning it this way and that.

Astrid blushed. "A heart."

"Aw." Kari cooed. "Is it a present for someone?"

Astrid's blush deepened. "Yes."

Hiccup was intrigued and he grinned at her. Opportunities to tease Astrid didn't come along very often. "For who?"

Astrid growled in embarrassment fueled anger. "None of your business."

"Aw, come on." He pleaded. "You can tell me." She made to grab the gemstone from him and he snatched it behind his back. He tsked, shaking a finger at her. "Not so fast."

"Hiccup!" Astrid snapped.

He eyed her, weighing his chances of survival against his curiosity. Astrid was unarmed, but that didn't mean she couldn't hurt him. A quick glance at Toothless, who blinked at him in an amused manner, showed there would be no help from him. He sighed in defeat.

"Fine. Keep your secrets. I'll still fix the gem."

Astrid's anger left in a rush. "Really?" She asked hopefully.

He gave her a lop-sided smile. "Like I could refuse my best friend anything." Toothless made an indignant noise. "My best _human_ friend." He amended. The Night Fury snorted matter-of-factly.

Astrid rose an eyebrow. "What about Kari? Isn't she your best friend too?"

Hiccup's eyes went wide and he glanced at the redhead, who crossed her arms and rose her own eyebrow. He was at a loss for a moment before he smirked. "She's my best _girl_ friend."

Astrid gaped ad scowled in mock anger. "Are you implying I'm not a girl?"

Hiccup's smirk widened. "Not at all. You're my best _rider_ friend. Who just so happens to be a girl."

Both girls giggled at this logic trip. "Nice save." Kari teased him.

He exaggerated a bow. "Thank you. Thank you. Hold your applause." Then he held the gemstone up to the light again. "You really will have to tell me who this is for sooner or later though." He said to Astrid.

She blushed again and glared at him. "After I give it to them."

He smiled brightly and Kari clapped. "Works for me. I'll get to work on it now. Say?" He glanced at Kari. "Didn't you say you'd like to go to the bathing pools today?"

Kari smiled. "Yes! I love those little stalls you have set up," She said, referring to the system of shower-like stalls they'd set up along the tree line near the refuse pits to bathe when a trip to the pools couldn't be managed. "But I just don't feel entirely clean." She finished.

Astrid smiled. "I could take you. I was planning on heading there later with Heather anyway."

"Really?" Kari asked, turning to her.

"Yeah. Go and get your things and I'll get Heather and the dragons. You can ride with one of us."

"Thanks! I'll meet you at your hut then. Bye, Hiccup." She called happily as she ran out.

"Thanks, Astrid." Hiccup said to her fondly, as he watched Kari's retreating form.

"No problem." She smiled and punched him lightly in the shoulder.

He feigned hurt and both of them laughed. She waved at him and went out, giving Toothless a fond pat on the way past. The Night Fury crooned happily at her and she turned to the sky and whistled for Stormfly. A few moments later, the Nadder swooped in and creeled a greeting at Toothless and Hiccup, before Astrid mounted and took to the sky. She set off to the fields and found Heather were she had left her, petting Windshear.

"Hey, love." She greeted from astride Stormfly.

Heather grinned at her. "Hey, yourself. You look pleased about something."

Astrid grinned. "I just got some good news. Do you feel up for a bath?" She asked.

Heather's grin changed to a predatory smirk. "I was just thinking about getting some alone time with you." She purred.

Astrid swallowed hard and shifted slightly in her seat as the tone of her voice had an immediate effect. They hadn't had time for more than a few passing touches and stolen kisses these past few days. "Well. Actually, Kari is going with us."

Heather looked disappointed for a moment, before perking up. "So that means we can finally drill her about Hiccup?"

Astrid smirked. "Yep."

Heather cheered lightly. "Awesome. Let's go!" She called, jumping astride Windshear.

The dragon roared playfully, before taking off. Astrid laughed at her enthusiasm and signaled Stormfly to follow. The dragons landed on Astrid's balcony and they both rushed inside to gather their things.

Just as Astrid finished shoving all but their clothes into a small bag, Heather grasped her shoulder and spun her around, dipping her and kissing her deeply. Astrid's gasp of surprise turned into a happy moan as she kissed her back. She lost herself for a moment, completely giving into the kiss, her hands burying themselves in Heather's dark hair to pull her closer. Heather's arms tightened around her for a moment, before pulling them back upright.

She grinned at Astrid's disheveled look. "Don't think I'm not disappointed at not getting to spend some time alone with you, love. Tonight, you're mine." She growled possessively, nipping at her lips.

Astrid kissed her fiercely in response and only an urgent chirp from Stormfly pulled them apart. They shifted their clothes back into place just as a knock came at the door. "I'm here!" Kari called.

"Coming!" Astrid answered. She grabbed the pack from the floor and finished shoving their clothes inside. "Come on, love." She winked at Heather.

Heather smiled and took her hand and they ran out to greet their new friend. "Since you aren't used to riding bareback, you should ride with Astrid this time around." Heather told her, taking her pack and securing it to her own waist.

"Fine by me." The red head said from where she was scratching a very happy Stormfly's brow.

Astrid mounted and then reached out to grab Kari's hand, swinging her up behind her on the Nadder. The redhead settled quickly and they took off, Heather and Windshear right behind them, heading towards the pools. It took only a few minutes of lazy flight to reach them and, upon arriving, Astrid removed their pack from the Nadder's saddle before removing it entirely. She knew the dragon would want to play while her rider was occupied.

She turned to find Kari and Heather already undressing. Her eyes strayed over Kari's body as it was revealed. She had a much nicer figure than her loose clothes implied. Perhaps she would suggest a more fitting outfit for the fiery girl. The thought flew from her mind when something hit her face. She grabbed at the piece of clothing to see it was Heather's shirt. She glanced over to see her girlfriend glaring at her. Astrid winced at the fury in her eyes and she raised her hands defensively.

" _It's not what you think!_ " She mouthed.

Heather crossed her arms and rose an eyebrow, scowling. Astrid was momentarily distracted at the sight of her breasts being pushed higher, before she blinked and looked back up into her face. Heather seemed less mad at her distraction, but was still obviously miffed as she continued to undress. Astrid cursed mentally and kept her eyes to herself as she stripped. She knew she was going to get an earful later at letting her gaze stray, even in an innocent context like it had.

She looked at her girlfriend apologetically as they entered the water. Heather splashed her, earning a squeal of surprise from the blonde. Astrid sputtered and wiped her eyes to see Heather smirking.

Kari laughed at their antics. "This place is nice." She said happily, undoing her hair from its braid.

Astrid, seeing she was momentarily forgiven, moved behind Heather to help her take down her hair as well, having braided in in a more intricate pattern that morning. "It is. This island was full of surprises when we first got here."

Heather moved to undo Astrid's hair once hers was free. "If you like this place, we should take you to the hot pools in the Northern section sometime."

"Gods, yes." Astrid sighed happily. "I haven't been there since the last time you were here." She said to Heather over her shoulder. "I'd love to go back."

"I'd like to see them." Kari smiled. "Let's do that next time."

"Sounds like a plan." Heather agreed.

"Definitely." Astrid seconded, reaching for the soap they'd deposited at the edge of the pools.

The girls chatted about their activities over the past few days as they bathed and washed their hair. Kari gushed about some of the things Hiccup had shown her about their own indigenous dragon species, seemingly quite unaware of how she lit up when she talked about the boy. There was no need to press her for information. How she felt was clear. Astrid and Heather shared a few knowing looks as she spoke of her first flight on Toothless and how much she enjoyed riding with him.

"I never knew the sky could look so clear!" She was saying. "He took me above the clouds themselves and it felt like I could touch the stars." She sighed. "It was the best moment of my life."

Astrid chuckled, remembering her first, terrifying flight with them. She'd been utterly and completely certain she was going to die, only to have Toothless calm upon hearing her apology. She'd been so touched and overawed after that, at getting to see her world from another perspective. She remembered holding Hiccup tight and giving him a kiss to the cheek. It had marked the first time she'd actually seen him as anything other than a failure and disgrace and it had started a friendship that would last a lifetime. She had truly fallen in love with him that night, though it hadn't lasted.

As she looked at Heather, though, she couldn't find herself feeling sad that she and Hiccup had drifted apart over the years. She was well and truly happy and in love. And, judging by both Kari and Hiccup's actions towards one another, love was in the future for them as well. It was truly a time to be alive.

Heather met her eyes and she smiled brightly, letting her happiness show. Underwater, where Kari couldn't see, their hands came together and Astrid squeezed Heather's fingers tightly, eyes conveying the words she so badly wanted to say aloud. Heathers eyes sparkled as she squeezed back.

" _I love you, too._ " She mouthed and Astrid felt her heart swell to bursting.

Her smile widened. Yes. It truly was a great time to be alive.

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0

A few hours later, Astrid and Heather finally managed to extract themselves from the dinner crowd unnoticed. As soon as they were out of sight from the others, they were in each other's arms, kissing passionately. They pulled apart a few moments later, breathing heavily.

"We have to get out of here." Heather whispered urgently, hands coming up to brush Astrid's breasts through her shirt.

Astrid bit back a moan and tried to gather her thoughts. "It's my watch at the Northern tower again." She whispered.

Heather grinned happily. "Perfect."

"Let's go." Astrid said, pulling away from her and taking her hand.

"Let's."

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X

Astrid felt the grin on her face would split it in half as they landed and dismounted. This time, instead of sending the dragons away, they opened the main doors and lead them inside. A few logs and a quick shot of fire from Windshear later and a fire was lit. Astrid felt momentarily guilty that she was using the watch as an excuse to be alone with Heather, but one hungry look from her ebony haired love sent her guilt flying out the window. They patted the dragons as they finished moving the furniture out of the way so the two could settle near the fire. Astrid lit a lantern and Heather took her hand, pulling her down the stairs.

Astrid set the lantern on the floor near the bed they'd confessed to each other on and shared their first kiss. Heather smiled at her and they kissed softly. Slowly, Astrid let her hands drift down to hook at the hem of Heather's shirt and she tugged it over her head. Her own shirt followed, as did the rest of their clothes and Astrid pushed Heather down onto the bed. She fell on top of her and Heather reached up to wrap her arms around her. Both sighed happily as they were skin to skin once more. Unwilling to wait any longer, Astrid maneuvered until their most intimate places were pressed together and both of them moaned at the contact.

"Gods, I love you." Astrid whispered, feathering kisses all over her face.

"I love you too." Heather whispered back, hands burying themselves into golden locks to pull her in for a proper kiss.

As their lips moved together, Astrid started to move. It took a moment to get used to the unfamiliar motion, but the pleasure she received as their cores moved together urged her to continue. Heather moaned into her mouth and began moving her hips to meet her. Astrid deepened their kiss, pushing their tongues together as fire raced through her body from where they were connected. Their kiss broke as need for air forced them apart. Astrid buried her face in Heather's neck, panting, and bit her on the most sensitive spot there, sucking the flesh in between her teeth with a sharp pull. Heather cried out and her hips jerked and Astrid moaned as the sudden motion sent a white hot bolt of pleasure through her. Their motions grew faster, more frenzied as their pleasure mounted and grew. Sweat shone on their skin, lubricating them as they slid together. Their nipples met and both of them cried out as the sensation of them rubbing together sent them higher.

It didn't take long before Astrid felt her climax approaching and she steeled herself against it, trying to make it last. Heather felt her falter and began moving faster. Astrid cried out, her body stilling for a moment, before continuing to thrust against her, harder this time. Their lips met again hungrily, tongues curling together for a moment before the tight coil that had been building inside burst over them in a wave of ecstasy, both of them throwing back their heads with a scream as their bodies jerked together uncontrollably, sending them even higher.

They collapsed together, panting and trembling. After a few minutes, the colder temperature of the tower crept into their senses and Astrid moved to grasp a fur from the foot of the bed. She covered them, and pulled Heather into her arms, spooning around her until her front was pressed entirely against her lovers back. Heather snuggled even further back into her, drawing Astrid's arm further around her, tucking it up in between her breasts and covering it with her own. Thus situated, she sighed happily and Astrid kissed her shoulder softly. Astrid buried her face into her hair and breathed deeply of her scent. Neither of them were tired, but simply wanted to lie there, tangled together for a while.

"I love you." Astrid whispered.

"I love you, too." Heather whispered back.

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0XX0X0

And there is chapter 10! Let me know what you thought! Ja ne!


	11. Chapter 11

A Dragon Rider's Heart

Chapter 11

A/N: Updates might be coming a bit slower over the next few weeks. I'm having some technical issues. Gomen.

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X

Astrid woke up to soft kisses being planted all over her face. She smiled and blinked her eyes open to see Heather smiling down at her. "Wake up, sleepyhead." She murmured, leaning down brush their lips together.

Astrid pressed more fully into the kiss before pulling back. "Is the sun already up?" She asked.

"Yes. We both slept late."

Astrid chuckled. "I wonder why?"

Heather smirked. "Well, I don't know about you but I spent the night making love with a really hot blonde."

Astrid giggled. "Really. So she was hot, huh?" She asked playfully, hands coming up to play with the soft, dark hair at the base of her neck.

"Very. Especially so when I was in between her legs." Heather practically purred, leaning down to nuzzle the blonde's ear. "She really liked it when I." She trailed off, drawing the lobe into her mouth and sucking it roughly, tongue moving over the sensitive skin in an approximation of last night.

Astrid shivered, biting her lip as she recalled how wonderful it had felt. "You'll have to show me sometime." She whispered breathily.

Heather released her earlobe and turned to give her a thorough kiss. "Maybe I will." She whispered against her lips. "I'll have to talk to her first, though. See if she's alright with me giving you a little taste." As she spoke, one of her hands came up to cup Astrid's breast in her hand, thumb playing over the nipple.

Astrid kissed her more firmly. "I don't know. She might be the jealous type." Her hand came up to play with Heather's breast as well. "I know if I had you, I'd never let you go." She punctuated the statement by sliding her free hand in between Heather's thighs, pressing it into her wet heat.

Heather gasped, eyes fluttering closed for a moment. "Promise?"

Astrid leaned up and sucked her lower lip between her teeth. "Promise." She started to move her fingers, finding that sweet bundle of nerves and toying with it firmly.

Heather moaned softly, widening her legs. After a moment, her free hand slipped between Astrid's legs, returning the attention with enthusiasm. Astrid moaned, her own thighs spreading to give her lover more room. Slowly, gently, they teased each other. There was no sense of urgency, only soft moans and happy sighs as they slowly teased each other higher.

Almost simultaneously, they entered one another. Slowly, Astrid started thrusting her fingers and her hips twitched lightly as Heather did the same. Their moans grew louder as their movements gradually increased in strength and speed. Astrid moaned sharply as Heather zeroed in on that sweet spot inside her. It was only a moment before Astrid found that secret ridge inside her and did the same. Their eyes met and they kissed deeply. They ate the sounds of pleasure the other made as their hips began to move in almost perfect unison as they neared the edge. Slowly, deliciously, it crept up on them until, with a final twist of fingers and a thrust, they fell tumbling over it.

They clung to each other as the word slowly returned to focus. Astrid brushed a stray lock of hair from her girl's face and cupped her cheek, smiling. "I love you."

Heather turned her face to kiss her palm. "I love you. I wish we could stay here all day." She sighed.

"Soon we'll be off on our own for a while and we can." Astrid promised, kissing her softly.

They lay there for a few more minutes, before reluctantly getting up to get dressed. Even though the repairs were finished, they knew someone would come looking if they lingered too long. Astrid grabbed the lamp, extinguishing it as they went up the stairs. Windshear and Stormfly greeted them happily and the riders went to give them some attention.

"Ready to start the day, girl?" Astrid asked the Nadder as she scratched her brow ridges. Stormfly nuzzled her, crooning softly, before going to stand in from of the doors.

Heather was already moving to open them so Astrid went to help. As soon as they were open, the dragons took off for a quick flight at a signal from their riders. Astrid smiled as they dipped and swooped playfully. She stepped out into the balcony and took a deep breath of the frosty air and let it out in a happy sigh. She tilted her head back and looked up into the sky. It was clear, not a cloud in sight.

Heather chuckled softly, coming up behind her and wrapping her arms around her waist and resting her chin on her shoulder. Astrid leaned back against her, arms coming up to cover Heather's, twining their fingers together. They stood there like that, watching the waves and their dragons playing in the distance. She was so relaxed it took her a moment to notice that something was out of place.

A curious shape was on the horizon. She reached down and grabbed her spyglass from the pouch at her waist and, as she focused, she could make it out as a ship. Heather's arms tightened around her as Astrid tensed.

"What is it?" She asked.

"A ship."

Heather jerked back. "Can you make out any markings?" She asked worriedly.

"No. We have to get Hiccup and the others."

Astrid whistled for Stormfly, the sound mixing with the sound of Heather's horn as she signaled Windshear. As soon as the two landed, they mounted and took off back towards the compound. The dragons, obviously sensing their rider's distress flew at their fastest without needing to be urged.

All eyes were turned towards them as the dragons flared dramatically to a quick stop on Hiccup's balcony. Astrid hopped down and ran inside without knocking. He wasn't there. She cursed and ran back out. Frantically she looked around for one of her teammates. Snotlout was just coming up from the beach, talking with a group of the Blind Water Vikings. Astrid leaped down to the ground and ran towards him.

"Snotlout!" She yelled.

Snotlout smirked as she approached, saying something under his breath to the men which made them laugh. "Hey, babe." He greeted her, sending her his best `charming' grin. "I knew you'd miss me."

"No time, Snotlout. Where's Hiccup?" She snapped.

"Why would you need Hiccup? I more than man enough for you." He crossed his arms and waggled his eyebrows. A rock came out of nowhere and hit him in the head, knocking his helmet askew. "Hey!" He cried, hand coming up to rub where it hit.

"Sorry. Thought I saw a bug." Heather said innocently as she approached.

Astrid growled angrily. "Do you know where Hiccup is or not?" She snapped at Snotlout.

"How should I know where he is?" He said angrily. "I'm not his keeper."

Astrid rolled her eyes at the sarcastic comment. "He's useless. Let's try to find Fishlegs."

"Oh, he's at the beach. Something about a carving on the ship or something." Snotlout supplied, instantly recovering his good humor.

Astrid sent him a look. "Ok. Maybe not completely useless." He smirked at the comment and winked at her and she immediately regretted the comment. She turned to Heather. "Let's go."

Heather broke her glare at Snotlout. "Right behind you."

They ran down to the beach and towards the grouping of Vikings. Astrid could see Fishlegs up on the deck talking to Calder and Dustin. People moved quickly out of their way as they ran through the group, sensing that something was up.

"Fishlegs!" She called upon reaching the ship.

He leaned over the railing a moment later. "Yes?"

"Do you know where Hiccup is?"

He thought for a moment. "He left with Kari this morning. He didn't mention where they were headed though." He seemed to realize something was wrong as Heather and Astrid shared a worried look. "What's happened?"

Astrid glanced around to the Blind Water men and women who were watching the exchange. "We might have a problem." She paused for a moment. "Listen. Find the twins and meet me at the main tower. And hurry!" She urged.

He immediately mounted Meatlug, who was on the deck with him and, after a mumbled apology to Calder and Dustin, took off. Astrid and Heather signaled for their dragons who had been circling above them, unwilling to let the distress girls out of their sight.

Before they could mount, the Blind Water chief leaned over the railing. "Anything we can do to help, lass?" He asked.

She thought about it and shook her head. "Hopefully, it'll turn out to be nothing, but if anything changes, we'll let you know." She said, mounting Stormfly.

He nodded at her and she took off. She dipped low over Snotlout as they passed. "Get Hookfang and meet us at the tower. Now."

He nodded, surprised, and signaled for her. Astrid continued after Heather and they settled down on the top of the tower. Neither of them spoke, both scanning the skies hoping to see Hiccup. A few minutes later the others arrived.

"What's going on?" Snotlout asked.

"There's a ship approaching from the north. Listen. I want you to go look for Hiccup." She told Snotlout. "Try the islands to the west. Fishlegs, you stay here in case he comes back. Get the defenses ready just in case. Ruff, Tuff, you're with me and Heather. Let's move, people."

They took off. Astrid's heart was in her throat. She pushed Stormfly to the limit, hoping against hope that the ship approaching their island wasn't that of an enemy.

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X

Thank you all for your continued support. Hopefully I can keep up the steady flow of updates! Ja ne! 


	12. Chapter 12

A Dragon Rider's Heart

Chapter 12

A/N: Sorry, not sorry for the cliffy last chap. Anyway! On with the fic!

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X

Astrid looked curiously at the ship as they approached closer. Something was off about it. Even its course seemed to have changed slightly and it rocked against the waves, instead of flowing with them. She held up a hand, signaling for Heather and the twins to wait while she swooped closer.

What she saw was shocking. There were chunks of wood torn from the very deck and it sat low on the water. Looking through a hole large enough for Stormfly to fit easily inside, she saw supplies and broken pieces of wood sloshing back and forth in water. It was sinking and there was no sign of a crew.

"Land, Stormfly. But gently. The whole deck might give." The dragon back winged in the air, legs coming down to gingerly test the integrity of the wood, before settling.

Astrid was tense for a moment, as the wood creaked, but it held. She dismounted and picked her way over the broken boards, trying to find a clue as to what had done this. Then she saw claw marks. Dragon claw marks. Before she could get closer, Heather and Windshear landed, followed quickly by Barf, Belch and the twins. Ruffnut looked around and Tuffnut whistled.

"Man. These guys need to work on their decorating." Tuff quipped.

Heather moved closer to the claw marks. "I've seen this before." She whispered.

Astrid looked at her. "What do you mean?"

Heather looked up at her, confusion and just a hint of fear in her eyes. "Remember the chest on my island?"

"The one you said you found on Knucklebone?"

Heather nodded. "The ship was torn up like this. I thought it must have happened after it landed, some curious dragons coming to investigate. The marks are identical."

Realization dawned. "But if this ship is torn up by the same dragons."

"Then there are dragons attacking ships somewhere." Heather finished.

"Then the crew?" Astrid asked, almost afraid to speculate.

Heather gave her a pained look. Astrid's heart dropped, but she refused to consider the thought. Dragons didn't eat people at least not the species they knew. But they would kill them. There should be at least bodies. There wasn't even a sign of blood. Where were the people? There was no way they could have carried every single person off the ship. A glance confirmed that the lifeboats were still on board and in no condition to be seaworthy.

She shook her head. There would be time for questions later. They needed to get this ship back to the Edge so that they could inspect it more thoroughly before it sank or was dashed apart on the rocks. It was the closest island, but still very far out and she wasn't sure they could sail it well in this condition. She turned to one of the holes and dropped down into the water. It was knee deep and sloshing strongly. Again, there were no bodies. Everything that wasn't tied down was afloat or rolling along the bottom, making her footing treacherous, but, a few minutes of search revealed the very thing she'd been looking for. Ropes. They were waterlogged and swollen, but they'd do the job. She looped them over her shoulder, soaking herself in frigid seawater in the process, and climbed back up onto the deck. Ruffnut and Heather grasped her arms and helped her the last few feet.

"Everyone take a rope. Secure it to the dragons and tie it where it won't come loose. We're going to tow it to the northern beach." She ordered.

They all complied. Astrid shot Heather an apologetic look for ordering her around like the others, but the ebony rider sent her a wan smile. They had decided to keep their secret from the others so Astrid couldn't treat her differently. That didn't mean she liked it though. She sighed and secured her own rope to the very front of the ship, before looping it over Stormfly's chest and securing it to her saddle straps.

"Everyone ready?" She called.

They all called affirmatives and Astrid mounted and took off. The others joined her in the air a moment later and they started back towards The Edge, slowly tightening the ropes, so as not to jerk the dragons. When they were taut, the beasts strained a bit, but, once the ship had turned to flow with the waves it was easier on them and the loyal creatures continued to fly, towing the boat behind them.

They'd covered around half of the distance, when they saw Toothless, Hookfang and Meatlug flying towards them. Astrid waved at Hiccup, relieved, as he guided Toothless to fly near enough for them to talk without shouting.

"What's going on? Is everyone ok?" He asked frantically.

"We're fine." She told him.

"And the people on the ship?" He asked, casting a worried glance down at the vessel.

"No sign of them, but Heather says she's seen something like this before. It's sinking and falling apart, so I thought we should beach it on The Edge so we can try and figure out what happened."

"Good call. Let us help. We'll get home faster." He told her.

Without waiting for an answer he guided Toothless to land on the deck. Snotlout and Fishlegs followed. A few minutes later, the three joined them. The ship moved much faster with the aid of the other dragons and they made much better time. It was still late afternoon, though, by the time the dragons had drug the ship far enough up on the small, icy beach for it not to be in danger of high tides slipping it away.

Hiccup looked around and, taking in the fatigued dragons, decided it would be best to get them back into warmer temperatures so they could rest, before they inspected the vessel. "Well. It isn't going anywhere. Let's get back to the compound. We can investigate tomorrow morning." Everyone agreed.

The dragons waited patiently for their ropes to be removed and wearily flew back to the compound. No sooner had they reached it did they set off to the stables. Astrid scratched Stormfly's brow, praising her and promising her a good meal after her nap. The Nadder nuzzled her gently before retiring.

The riders made their way to Hiccup's hut in unison. Kari, Calder and Dustin were waiting for them. "The dragons looked exhausted. Is everything ok?" Kari asked worriedly.

Hiccup didn't say anything, gesturing for them to sit down. He then looked to Astrid to tell them what had happened. "Heather and I spotted a ship on the horizon just as we were about to head back to the compound. I sent Snotlout to look for hiccup and had Fishlegs stay to set up defenses in case it was an enemy, while Heather, the twins and I went out to investigate. When we got there, I noticed something off about the ship and landed. It was devastated."

"What could have done it?" Dustin asked.

Astrid looked to Heather. "Tell them about the ship you found."

Heather nodded. "It was about a month ago. I was investigating for signs of my brother and his army when I found a shipwreck on a tiny island. It was more apart than together and there were no signs of any people. All the supplies were still there. I even found a chest with some treasure in it. No one would have left that chest behind if they'd had a choice. There were dragon claw marks everywhere. I assumed that dragons had investigated the wreck after it happened, but the marks were almost exactly the same as the ship we found today. I think it was attacked like this one had to have been."

They were all silent for a moment. "It doesn't make sense." Hiccup suddenly said. "Why would dragons attack a ship?"

"And the people. What happened to them?" Calder asked.

Astrid shook her head. "No one. Not even bodies."

"No blood either." Ruffnut supplied.

"If it were there, she'd have found it." Tuffnut said eagerly. "She's good like that. Its kind've creepy when you think about it, actually." He said thoughtfully, a contemplative look on his face.

Ruffnut smoothly punched him out of his seat. "That's how I got so good at it." She said smugly, crossing her arms with a smirk.

A few of them laughed. Astrid wasn't sure whether to be grateful that the two had eased the tension or not. For a few moments, everyone was silent, each lost to their own thoughts. The sound of the dinner bell broke the silence.

Hiccup stood. "Well, we won't know more about what happened until in the morning. I want my riders patrolling round the clock tonight after dinner. You know the shifts." Everyone rose and began filing out.

"Need an extra set of eyes?" Heather asked.

Hiccup smiled at her. "I was hoping you'd ask. That would be great. You can go after Astrid. It'll give everyone some extra sleep. Something tells me we're going to need it."

"Anything we can do?" Calder asked.

Hiccup shook his head. "No, but thank you, sir."

Calder shook a massive finger at him. "What have I told you about `sir'?"

Hiccup hemmed. "Sorry, Calder."

The chief and captain nodded, before exiting. Kari hung back. Astrid sensed she wanted to speak to Hiccup alone and decided that she could wait to talk to him. He was right anyway. Speculation could only get them so far.

She went to get her dinner. Her shift was after everyone but Hiccup's, so that meant she had a few hours to sleep. She knew if she managed even those she'd be lucky. Her mind was in turmoil. Dragons attacking ships, disappearing people and that was just what they knew. She had a feeling that things were about to go south and fast.

Her eyes met Heather's. She looked just as worried as Astrid felt. Suddenly, Astrid didn't feel like eating. All she wanted to do at this moment was hold her girlfriend close. Heather seemed to feel the same and they made their way back to Astrid's hut.

Wordlessly, they undressed and climbed into the bed. Astrid pulled Heather into her arms and they just held each other. Astrid felt calmer now, but not by much. Heather felt tense and so she gently stroked her hair, kissing her temple softly. It wasn't long before they drifted into a fitful sleep.

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X

And there is chapter 12! Hope you enjoyed.

I just want to take moment to thank everyone for their continued reviews and support. You guys are awesome.

See you next time, my loves! Ja! 


	13. Chapter 13

A Dragon Rider's Heart

Chapter 13

A/N: It's been soooooo long, my loves. I am terribly sorry. I've had some issues, both technical and otherwise, but now I am back and ready to finish our journey. Updates might be a tad slower than they were before, but, I promise, we have a long way to go! Read on, loves. And enjoy!

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X

Astrid sighed in the silence of her hut and removed her arm from over her eyes. Trying to nap was useless. She couldn't stop her mind long enough to relax. She sat up with a groan, burying her face in her hands and cursing herself. Where she really wanted to be was out on patrol with Heather, but they'd agreed on going separately like Hiccup had wanted so as not to arouse suspicion about why exactly they'd been spending every moment together. She'd be glad when this façade was over and she could finally gather the courage to tell everyone about her and Heather.

She stood and began to pace the same familiar track she'd abandoned only five minutes ago, needing to move, do anything to try and keep her imagination from running wild. Heather was out there, alone, and there were to many unknowns for Astrid to be comfortable with it. What if she were attacked while Astrid sat here on her thumbs, simply waiting for her to return. Heather had done some training with them, but wasn't as familiar with their emergency procedures as Astrid thought she could be. What if she wasn't able to signal for help in time?

The blonde rider felt her heart wrench painfully in her chest at the thought of anything happening to her ebony haired love, before she cursed herself again. "Dammit, Astrid!" She spun and kicked one of the support beams hard enough to make her leg go slightly numb. "Stop worrying! She can take care of herself! She's fine!"

"Don't start talking to yourself now, Astrid. I need at least one of my riders to be sane." Hiccup's amused voice called from the upstairs balcony window.

She spun around. "What if I'd been undressed?"

He rolled his eyes and rested his elbows on the narrow windowsill. "It's you, Astrid. I was 98% certain you'd still be in full gear with an axe in arm's reach and ready to move the second you needed to."

Astrid blushed at her own predictability and crossed her arms. "You're only half right. My axe is next to the bed."

He chuckled. "Can I come in?"

"Sure."

He didn't bother walking to the door, instead climbing awkwardly through the window. Astrid giggled as his prosthetic foot got caught on the windowsill for a moment, nearly causing him to lose his balance and fall. When he had righted himself with a sheepish grin, she gestured at the chair near the bed and sat down on the thin mattress as he took the offered seat.

"So, what's up?" She prompted when he didn't say anything for a few moments.

He shot her a look. "Can't I just want to talk?"

Astrid quirked an eyebrow. "It's you, Hiccup. There's always something going on in that brain of yours."

He half smiled at that. "And usually nothing useful."

"Yeah, that about sums you up." They both laughed. "So?" She prompted.

He sighed and looked at the floor. "I don't like that there's so much we don't know. There are too many unknowns right now. I feel… unsettled."

Astrid sent him a wan smile that he didn't see. "Tell me about it. I'm going crazy trying to think of anything that might bring some light on these ship attacks."

He shook his head. "It's not just the ship attacks. It's everything!" He gestured broadly, his voice rising in frustration as he stood up to pace, feet falling automatically in the same track Astrid's had been on before. "I feel like we're all in the middle of some big game that we don't even know who's playing. What if this is all Riker? He's always been one step ahead of me, always know just how much to give me to make me play right into his hands." He paused his face darkening for a moment, before he shook his head and moved on. "I just can't figure out if there's a connection to all this. And now there's Kari! You know she fully expects to go with us when we start investigating, right?" He stopped to look at her, his face fearful.

Astrid was confused and let it show. "What's wrong with that? Weren't we going to make her an honorary rider?"

He sighed. "Yes, but that's in the future. I didn't mean now. She hasn't even found her dragon yet. She's had no training! She's completely unprepared for the things we may have to face."

"Whoa, whoa, Hiccup. Kari isn't helpless. You've said it yourself. She's incredibly talented. And remember, she spent years studying dragons. Alone." She put emphasis on the word. "You, of all people, know how dangerous it is to deal with wild dragons, and just how quickly things can turn against you out there. She had only herself to rely on, her own wits and skill to save herself if anything went wrong. And she's still here. She's perfectly capable."

He sighed and flopped back down on the chair, burying his face in his hands. "You're right. I know you're right. I just can't help it. I worry about her." He looked up at her with a helpless expression on his face.

Astrid smiled warmly at him. "We all worry about the ones we love, Hiccup." She said softly, leaning forward to put a hand on his shoulder.

He smiled back at her. "Just like you worry about Heather even though you know she can take care of herself too." He stated softly.

Astrid jerked back in shock, blood rushing to her face. "What?"

Hiccup sent her a knowing look. "I know, Astrid. I've known for a little while know. I think it's great!" He added with a smile.

"Were we that obvious?" She asked worriedly.

He shook his head. "Only to me. I know you, Astrid. I knew what to look for. The others won't have noticed a thing."

She sighed in relief. "Thank the gods. We weren't ready to tell everyone yet. Though you were going to be the first to know."

His smile grew bigger. "I appreciate that." Then he snorted. "Look at us! The two biggest worriers I know, in love with two brilliant and capable women."

Astrid chuckled. "May the gods have mercy on our souls."

They laughed together and then sat for a moment in companionable silence, before Hiccup sighed. "Well, I'd better get back. Kari wanted to join me on patrol."

"Go get 'er, toothpick." Astrid teased, leaning forward to ruffle his hair.

He halfheartedly slapped at her hand and stood. "Don't let Heather tire you out too much. We've got a big day planned." He joked, before darting towards the stairs.

Astrid's jaw dropped in shock. "Why you- you little perv!" She sputtered indignantly, tossing a pillow in his direction.

He ducked his head, narrowly avoiding the fluffy projectile as he laughed uproariously. "I meant sparring! You're the one with a dirty mind!" She felt herself blush crimson and raised her fist to shake it at him, unable to form the words to reply. Hiccup started down the stairs, still chuckling, before stopping and spinning back around. "Oh! I almost forgot." He started back towards her.

"I will hit you, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock!" Astrid threatened, half rising from the bed.

Hiccup held up on hand in a placating gesture and untied a small pouch from his belt. "Here, she-devil. I thought you'd want this."

She settled back down and took the pouch, still glaring at him and opened it. She tilted the contents out onto her palm ad gasped in wonder. It was the gemstone. It was now a perfectly symmetrical heart shape, and had lost none of its luster or coloring. She held it up to the light, tilting it this way and that, watching the new way the colors shifted in the facets. He'd even polished it, and added grooves for her to attach it to a necklace.

"Gods, Hiccup!" She breathed in wonder. "It's perfect!" She looked up at him with an awestruck look on her face. "I thought you said it would take a while."

He shrugged. "I couldn't sleep. Besides. I thought you'd want to give it to her before. Just in case we have to move in a hurry later."

She carefully laid the gem on the bed, before jumping up to hug him, tightly. She laid her head on his shoulder as he hugged her back, resting his chin on her head. "Thank you, Hiccup. So much."

He pulled back and kissed her forehead softly. "Anything for you, Astrid." She smiled up at him, blinking away tears as he started again for the stairs.

She drifted back to the bed and picked up the gemstone, still awed by how perfect it was. All it needed was a final touch. She laid it back down and began to search through her things, trying to find the right type of cord to attach. Finally, after many minutes of searching and tossing things haphazardly around, she found one. It was black and made of a stout, but soft material that would hopefully stand up to their active lifestyle. She hurried back to the bed and wound to around the grooves, pulling it tight and tugging it to make sure it was secure. Just as she was satisfied, she heard Windshear back winging to land on the balcony. Quickly, Astrid scooped up the pouch and dropped the necklace inside, before shoving it under the remaining pillow on the bed. She heard the door open quietly.

"Astrid?" Heather called softly. "Are you still awake?"

"I am." Astrid called back, walking over to the top if the stairs.

Heather made her way up, giving her a tired smile. Astrid pulled her into a hug and they stood there, just holding each other for a moment. "I missed you." The ebony haired rider whispered, turning her head to place a soft kiss on the blonde's cheek.

"I missed you too." Astrid whispered back, turning to capture Heather's soft lips with her own.

The kiss was soft and tender and Astrid lost track of time as she simply enjoyed the feel of Heather in her arms, the scent of her in her nose and the taste of her lips and mouth as it slowly deepened. When they finally pulled apart, both were panting slightly and flushed. Heather smiled happily and quickly kissed Astrid's nose, before noticing the mess that the room was in.

"I see someone was busy while I was gone." She teased.

Astrid blushed. "I was looking for something."

Heather chuckled. "Did you find it?"

"I did. Would you like to see?" She asked in a childlike voice.

"Of course I would."

Astrid took her hand and pulled her towards the bed. "Ok. Sit down and close your eyes."

Heather smirked. "Sounds kinky."

Astrid rolled her eyes and gave her a gentle push. "Hush. Sit." Heather did so, making a show of keeping her eyes closed. Astrid darted around the bed and took the pouch from under her pillow, before coming back around and sitting beside her. "Hold out your hand." Heather did so and Astrid removed the necklace from the pouch and laid it in her palm. "Okay."

Heather opened her eyes and gasped at the gem in her hand. "Oh my gods." She whispered. Slowly, almost reverently, she stroked it with her other hand.

"Do you like it?" Astrid asked nervously.

Heather looked up at her, still awed. "Like it? I love it!" She grasped it tightly in her fist and threw her arms around Astrid, hugging her tightly for a moment, before pulling away to stare at her gift again. "When? How?" She asked.

"I promised you a present, remember? I just had to wait for it to be finished. Hiccup cut it for me."

Heather smiled brightly. "Remind me to thank him." She stroked the cord lightly. "Can I wear it now?" She asked.

Astrid chuckled. "Of course. Wear it as often as you like." She took if from her and leaned around to tie it around her neck. When it was in place, she leaned around and touch it, where it rested just above the swell of her breasts. "My heart is yours, Heather. Always and forever."

Heather made a sound halfway between a sob and a laugh as she threw her arms around Astrid's neck, kissing her soundly. Astrid pulled her closer, returning the kiss with a passion. Slowly, they fell sideways on the bed in a tangle of limbs. When they finally pulled apart, the sky was changing colors. On a whim, Astrid sat up and pulled Heather from the bed. She led her out onto the balcony and then stepped behind her. She wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her body back against her front, resting her chin on Heather's shoulder. The ebony rider sighed happily, leaning back against her and covering the blonde's arms with her own, threading their fingers together. They stayed that way, watching as the sun peeked over the horizon. Soon, they could hear the now familiar sounds of people waking and beginning their day and they turned to walk back inside as the Edge came to life around them.

Whatever the day brought, they would face it together. As one. Astrid smiled happily at Heather, who returned the smile and they kissed once more, before heading off to meet the other riders and, hopefully, to solve a mystery.

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0XX0X0X0X0X0X0X

I just want to take a quick moment to thank you all again so much for your continued support. You guys are amazing! Keep being you. :D


	14. Chapter 14

A Dragon Rider's Heart

Chapter 14

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X

Astrid sighed as she and the others, weary from their interrupted night, flew through the chill of the northern section's air. Hiccup's mood had gone south fast when not only Kari, but Calder had shown up on his balcony. The girl's father and chief had been furious at Kari's decision to accompany the young Dragonmaster. Their argument had echoed through the compound and Astrid could see how torn Hiccup was. She knew he'd rather Kari stay here, safe, but knew his blooming relationship might be in jeopardy if he took her father's side so openly.

Indeed, she'd turned on him, face red and awash with angry tears when he mentioned that she could always come along with them later and on a less potentially dangerous incursion. It was more than an hour after they'd originally meant to head out, that the argument had wound down. She looked at the girl's stiff form on the back of Toothless behind Hiccup. She'd gotten her way in the end, but was still very upset. Astrid couldn't really blame her, but she knew Hiccup would be in just as foul a mood as she and they had more important things to worry about right now. Her peaceful morning with Heather seemed like a distant dream.

In a preplanned order, they each landed one by one and sent their dragons away before the next rider landed. Hiccup had agreed with her that the ship might not hold all their weight at once in the state it was in. She watched as Hiccup wordlessly lit a few torches with his Firestarter and hand them out.

"Alright. You guys know the drill. Don't touch anything unless you have to. We still have no idea what could have incapacitated the crew. It could have been any number of things so be careful. And no experiments!" He said to Snotlout and the Twins firmly.

Snotlout rolled his eyes but said nothing as he and the two slender blondes moved towards the abovedeck cabin. Astrid tried to smile at Heather as they followed Hiccup and Kari down below deck, but she knew her expression was grim. The dark-haired girl smiled back, but it was just as forced. Today was not shaping up to be pretty.

Most of the water below deck had seeped out through wide cracks between the boards of the ship's hull. It looked as if they'd stuck something fairly hard and hadn't had time to do more than smear tar and pitch in the cracks and hope they'd hold. She took it to mean the ship had been struck at a time that landfall was impossible, either because they were out at sea or in an unhospitable place. She didn't know which would be worse. All of the supplies were ruined. Bags of grain and salt were sodden and most had split at the seams. Boxes and barrels had been dashed apart in the motion of the ship after their waterlogged ties had given way. Astrid was sure she saw the damaged parts of what had to have been a catapult and there were weapons lying haphazardly around, the worse for wear after their exposure to seawater.

"It doesn't make sense." Heather muttered. "All this weaponry and yet, no sign of a struggle other than dragon marks."

"You're right. No Viking would stay his weapon if he could lift it." Kari agreed quietly.

Hiccup grunted in agreement before sighing. "Astrid. You and Heather search the back-storage compartments. Kari and I will check the crew quarters. Maybe one of them kept a journal or something."

His voice implied he didn't think it was likely, but she knew he wanted to keep Kari away from any possible danger. Despite her still being annoyed with him, she hadn't made to move from his side. At least she wasn't avoiding him. She nodded and Heather followed her as they carefully made their way over the waterlogged debris towards the back of the ship. The further back they got, the more debris there were and they saw two more catapults packed away. All but one of the doorways were open. She dismissed it at first and made to check the open ones since they were closest, but, after a few minute's search turned up nothing more than some broken chests of gold and other valuables, she and Heather moved towards it.

As they approached, Astrid stopped. The door was bolted and a chained and the area around it was covered in even more debris. Strangely though, it seemed as if the mass of boxes and chests here was more deliberate than the rest of the ship. Most of them were still intact. It was almost as if they'd been placed to hold the door closed. She experimentally reached down to test the weight of one of the chests and was surprised when it barely budged.

"That's weird." She whispered. "Could you hold this for a second?" She asked Heather, holding out her torch.

Heather nodded and took it. "What is it?" She whispered.

Astrid bent to open the lid. Her brow furrowed as she saw that it was filled with stones, like the kind used for the smaller catapults they'd seen. "Ammunition. But why is it back here? Surely it should have been near the catapults. Why would they make the effort to move all of this stone way back here out of the way?"

She looked up to see Heather look just as confused. "Makes no sense."

Astrid looked back up at the door, narrowing her eyes. "I want to see what's behind that door."

"Should we get the others?"

"No. What if there's nothing there? What if it's a coincidence?"

Heather arched an eyebrow at her. "What if it's not?" She muttered, but put the torch in one of the nearby wall holders and moved to help the blonde move the heavy crates.

Both were panting and sweating despite the chilly air when they finally cleared the door. Astrid drew her axe and put it to the chain. With and apprehensive glance at her girlfriend to see if she was ready, she drew back her axe and struck. One blow was all it took and the chain coiled to the floor. They both jumped back, weapons at the ready, but nothing happened. Astrid gave Heather a sheepish grin. She couldn't understand why she was suddenly so jumpy. She shook it off. _I'm just not used to Heather being here and close to danger,_ she told herself as she moved back towards the door, knowing the thought was foolish.

"Stay back." She whispered as Heather made to move with her. "Just in case one of us needs room to move." Heather opened her mouth to argue, but then closed it and shifted her grip on her axe. Astrid knew she'd be on eggshells and ready to move at a moment's notice.

As she reached for the handle, the back of her mind registered that the frame of the door looked odd, almost melted. She dismissed it. _Wood doesn't melt_ , she thought to herself. Some sixth sense made her skin prickle and she tightened her hold on her axe as she slowly turned it.

"Maybe we shou-" Heather started to say when Astrid pulled it open.

A wave of purple gas immediately rushed out, hitting Astrid like an almost physical force and a loud, terrifying clacking sound filled the air. "Go!" She screamed to Heather, throat and eyes burning madly.

Astrid tried to cover her mouth and back away, but her head was swimming and she could see nothing. She tripped backwards over something, her breath leaving her in a rush. Instinctively, she inhaled and it felt like she'd swallowed acid. She immediately coughed as her lungs tried to remove the bad air and kept coughing. She felt her skin burning and tried to stand, to run, but couldn't move. Her ears were ringing, her head pounding and chest aching and there was nothing she could do. She felt herself begin to twitch, her muscles no longer in her control. She couldn't even cough anymore; her lungs simply wouldn't work. A strange numbness settled over her and, distantly, she thought she heard screams over the pounding of blood through her ears.

Heather's face swam through her mind. _Please. Please let her make it out._ She knew she was dying, there was nothing she could do. All she could do was hope that her lover and friends made it out.

She dimly became aware of movement through the fog. As if a hundred tiny things were moving through it. It didn't really register until one of those small forms moved to her. Her muscles had stopped twitching and the purple fog was fading to grey in the sputtering torchlight. She couldn't even be afraid as the little creature, a tiny dragon no bigger than a Night Terror climbed onto her chest. It seemed to have too many legs, and watching them all moving in tangent was unnerving. Its head was small, supported by a slender neck. All along its head and back, prominent scales stood out. It rustled them, and she knew the source of the terrible clacking.

Then it was gone. The side of the ship suddenly exploded in a flash of purple, blue and orange. Her body was thrown sideways with the force, but it didn't hurt. Nothing hurt. She'd never been more relaxed. Sounds were distant and the new, brighter world she found herself in was grey on grey. Shadows moved towards her and then, she then was floating.


	15. Chapter 15

A Dragon Rider's Heart

Chapter 15

A/N: Sorry, not sorry for the cliffy.

So very sorry it has been so long my loves. There has been a LOOOOT going on in life atm, but hopefully things will be on track for the next little bit.

Also, just wanted to add that the next few chapters might be a bit dark. I think my overall outlook might be to blame for some of it, but I did intend for the story to have a darker tone at some point from the start.

Anyways. ON WITH THE FIC!

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X

Astrid found herself in a world of darkness. Shadows upon shadows loomed and lunged at her, their distorted shapes just familiar enough to fill her with a sense of dread, though she couldn't place why. She found herself holding her axe and lashed out at one of them. Its head fell from its body and fire suddenly flared, casting it's light on the monster. Only it wasn't a monster anymore. It was Heather and she'd just killed her. She tried to scream in denial even as a part of her registered that this Heather was different from her lover, but no sound emerged. The other monsters revealed themselves to be her friends and their dragons, but they were so misshapen and distorted they were painful to look at. Still, her heart cried out in horror as her body moved of its own accord, weapon swinging through the air, hacking and slashing at them. Their voices were distorted, but she could still recognize their screams as she cut them down, one by one. All the while they simply looked at her with trusting eyes, not even trying to run or defend themselves as she killed them.

She tried to stop, tried to fight her body, but there was no use. She couldn't even cry. Finally, the slaughter was over and she heard an evil laughter. A moment later she recognized the warped voice and realized it was her own. She was laughing at having slaughtered her friends. Her heart felt like it was breaking as the cruel laughter went on and on.

Finally, with a wrench that seemed to tear at her soul, she was able to break free of the horrible vision. She felt her eyes open, but could still see only darkness. She found her voice and screamed in horror and pain as she tried to move and her muscles convulsed. Her throat felt like it was full of broken glass. Voices sounded around her, but she couldn't make out the words and then she felt hands descend on her, holding her painfully in place.

Panic consumed her and she tried to fight, lashing out and screaming wordlessly. She felt her mouth being wrenched open and liquid poured in. Before she could spit it out her mouth was snapped shut, a hand clamping firmly over her lips. It was either swallow or drown. Without knowing which she chose, she fell back into a different darkness.

And she was running. White and dead trees blurred around her, leaning in impossible angles and swaying in a breeze she couldn't feel. Shadows stretched and danced as the moon and stars swirled dizzyingly fast overhead. Something was chasing her. She tried to run faster, pushing herself to her limits, but she almost seemed to be running in place as it gained on her. The ground grew soft and she found herself suddenly in thick, wet mud. It was holding her in place. She couldn't lift her feet and, to her horror, she fell forward. Her arms buried themselves almost halfway to her elbows in the thick mass with the force of her fall. She was trapped, unable to move as her mysterious pursuer drew even closer. It lunged, glowing red eyes and long sharp teeth filling her vision.

Then she was struggling as hands held her down, forcing more liquid into her mouth. She was choking, coughing, drowning. The sea spread all around her, grey sky riddled with clouds and lightning and waves dashing her around, pulling her over and under until she wasn't sure which direction was up or what was air and what was water.

With a terrified jerk, the vision changed again. She was bound, arms and legs tied to the surface she was lying on. Everything was grey on grey, shapes and colors eluded her. Her body was wracked with pain and she could barely move to fight her bonds.

"Is she coming around?" A voice asked from somewhere far away.

"No." A tired voice replied. "She's still in the visions. It's mostly out of her system, but we have no way of knowing how permanently it will affect her."

She snarled at the unfamiliar voices and renewed her struggles to break free. She felt something cool being laid over her eyes, shutting out the light. She snapped her teeth and tried to toss her head, wanting to remove the obstruction, but more hands were holding her down. After a few moments, she felt her burst of energy leave her and her body relaxed, despite her intense desire to be free. She felt herself slipping again.

"What can we do?" The voice was quieter now, as if the speaker had moved even further away.

"Nothing. It's up to her now."

And she was falling; falling through a world of swirling colors and shapes. They didn't make any kind of sense to her and the feeling of motion made her sick. She rolled over on her side, not even aware enough to be surprised as a basin was placed below her mouth to catch what little stomach contents she had as she wretched violently. She had time to register that she was no longer bound and that the world wasn't grey anymore, though everything was still too fuzzy for her to realize where she was, before she fell back into the realm of confusing colors and shapes.

The next time she woke, she could actually register that she was awake. She panicked slightly when she opened her eyes and saw only darkness, before realizing a damp, cool cloth was over them. She lifted her hand, wincing as her joints and muscles protested the movement and shakily pulled it off. Light struck her eyes painfully and she immediately closed them. After a few timid blinks, her eyes began to adjust and she looked around. She realized she was in a hut, but whose, she couldn't tell. Furs had been hung from pegs to section off her bed from the rest of the room. Bright sunlight was streaming in through the open window near her. Everything was hazy, like she was looking through a film, but no amount of blinking could clear her vision. She swallowed a sudden lump in her throat and it was so dry it was almost painful. Her mouth felt like a desert.

She squinted and looked around. The fact the her vision wasn't clearing was alarming, but she couldn't concentrate past her thirst. Finally, after a long moment, she made out a cup on a small table near her. Shakily, she tried to sit up and reach for it, but couldn't find the strength. She felt as weak as a newborn. Tears pricked her eyes in frustration. She refused to give up. Slowly, painfully, she scooted herself upwards in increments, propping her head and shoulders against the wall. When she was mostly upright, she again reached for the cup. Her fumbling fingers knocked it off and it hit the floor with the sound of breaking clay.

Immediately, she heard a gasp from beyond the furs and footsteps coming towards her. The furs were jerked aside so roughly, she heard one of them tear. A moment later, a slender, dark haired form was at her bedside. She blinked futilely to try and make out who it was.

"Astrid!" It was Heather. "Oh, thank the gods!"

Astrid's heart leapt joyfully in her chest. She opened her mouth to greet her love, but the only sound she could make was a croak. She fumbled painfully, trying to reach for her, but her arms wouldn't move right. She felt Heather take her hand almost immediately.

"Shh. Shh. Love. I'm here." Her voice sounded thick, as if she were on the verge of tears. Astrid squeezed her hand as best she was able and let herself go limp, tears swimming into her own eyes. She tried to swallow, but couldn't and gestured as best she could towards her throat. "Do you need water?" Heather asked. She nodded. "One second. I put some right here for you." She let go of the blonde's hand and Astrid immediately felt adrift. "Let me get a cup. I'll be right back. I promise." Heather told her urgently.

Astrid heard her move swiftly away. No matter what was going on with her body, Heather was OK. She'd made it out unharmed. That was all she needed in life. A bell sounded and a few moments later Heather was back. Astrid heard her pour water into the cup. She felt it press against her lips and she eagerly opened her mouth. She gulped down a few desperate swallows and almost choked.

"Slowly, lover. Slowly. Give yourself a moment." Astrid did her best to swallow more carefully, but she was so _thirsty_. She'd never been more thirsty in her life. When the cup was empty she sighed happily and tried to thank her. Again, all that came out was an odd croaking noise. "No. Don't try to speak." Heather said quickly.

One of her hands came up to cup the side of Astrid's face and she leaned her face against it. Slowly, painfully, she turned her head so she could brush her lips over her love's palm. She was trying desperately to remain calm, but her body was no longer under her control. She couldn't see, couldn't speak and could barely move. What in the world had happened to her?

Before she could begin to gather her thoughts, she heard a grouping of footsteps pounding towards them. And, suddenly, there were far too many voices for her addled brain to comprehend. She tried to shake her head, to lift her arms to cover her ears and block out some of the sound, but her body would not cooperate. Her useless eyes could only make out the vaguest details of movement and color, just enough to be confusing and alarming. Her lungs felt like they were closing in her chest and she couldn't seem to find enough air. The panic she'd been fighting blazed through her veins and she jerked madly, her only thought was that she had to get away from the overwhelming noise and sense of motion. She felt someone's hand grasp her shoulder and she tried to collapse in on herself to break free of the touch, feeling trapped.

" _ **Enough!**_ " A surprisingly deep female voice boomed. Astrid jerked again in fright, a broken whimper slipping past her lips. "Clear out and give her some air! Can't you see you're only making it worse? Let me have a look at her and then, if she is up for it, you can come back and visit with her one at a time. Until such time as I say otherwise, make yourselves scarce." Her voice brooked no argument.

Astrid tried desperately to calm herself as she heard a chorus of mumbled apologies and the quiet shuffle of feet as the people left. Her breaths were coming in sharp, painful gasps and she felt a trickle of sweat roll down her spine. She shivered, suddenly cold as someone moved towards her.

"There, there child. All is well." The woman said soothingly. Her voice was rough from age, but still very clear. "I'm Beathag. Heather, would you mind going and heating some water?"

"Of course!" The dark haired rider said quickly.

Astrid didn't want her to leave, but was unable to protest. The healer hummed softly under her breath. "Don't worry. She'll be back soon enough. The lass has been by your side almost every moment. Can't get a thing done the way she hovers." She grumbled, though Astrid swore she could hear an affectionate undertone now.

So many different things to process. Her tired mind couldn't keep up. What was going on? Where was she? Why was she injured? What had happened to her sight? Suddenly, her hands were grasped by another pair, old and firm. The unexpected and unfamiliar grip was enough to startle her from her thoughts.

"Be calm." The healer ordered. "I know you have questions, lass. All will be revealed in good time. Now. Let me look you over. That's a good girl." She soothed as Astrid let herself relax. "I'm going to help you lie down." She warned as she moved to grasp the blonde's shoulders.

Astrid winced as her body rejected the movement, but tried to let herself relax as she was gently laid back on the mattress. The healers hands moved swiftly over her body, tugging on her arms gently and testing the range of motion in them. It was painful, very painful, but Astrid merely grit her teeth and endured it. After a few long and painful minutes the old healer finally finished, having tugged at each part of her down to her toes.

"Your muscles are recovering. I don't think you're going to have much loss of mobility. But you must rest. No more hopping around in the bed."

Astrid tried to nod her consent. The tiniest jerk was all she could manage, but Beathag obviously understood. Astrid took in the fact that her body would recover. She was as weak as a newborn, but it was heartening to know that she would recover. Now her only worries were her voice and eyesight. She wracked her brain, trying to find a way to communicate this, before deciding that the easiest way would be to actually try to speak again.

She opened her mouth, but Beathag shushed her before she could even attempt to make a sound. "Hush now. Your vocal chords were damaged during your... "She hesitated a moment before continuing. "When you were injured." She finished. Astrid frowned at the amendment, and heard the healer chuckle. "All in good time. You have to give yourself a chance to heal. I have some medicines here that will help make the process less painful. Later on, when you have recovered, we'll discuss some exercises to speed up your recovery. Your voice will return with your strength, but rest is the most important thing right now. You will only prolong the process by trying to rush yourself."

Astrid heard someone approaching and the healer made an approving sound. "Ah, good. Now we can begin. I want to get you cleaned up again before I give you anything for the pain, as it will make you sleep. Do _not_ try to help!" She snapped. "I've been told about your independent nature, but Heather and I will be the ones helping you. You must let us tend to you. Yes?"

Astrid wanted to refuse. She hated for Heather to see her so helpless, but she couldn't see she had much choice. She nodded slightly and closed her eyes, trying to fight back her tears of frustration. She tried to pretend she was somewhere else as her lover and the healer, gently began to undress and wash her.

It wasn't until much later, after shed been dressed and fed and was lying swathed in blankets with the bitter taste of the healer's infusions still on her tongue, that she realized she'd forgotten to try and ask about her eyesight.

X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X0X

I just want to say thank you all very much for the reviews! I love you guys so much. I PROMISE that this story will not be abandoned. I will continue it until the end, it just might take awhile.

Anyway. Until next time, loves! Ja!


End file.
